Politics, Legal & Regulation

June 15, 2023 @ 10:07 am By JD Alois  |  

The world’s richest person and top entrepreneur, Elon Musk, is describing ESG, or the Environment, Social, and Governance movement, as the “Devil.” In a Tweet that included a statement by S&P Global that cigarette firm Philip Morris International topped Tesla in its ESG “score,” Musk… Read More

June 14, 2023 @ 3:37 pm By JD Alois  |  

The European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) has published a time frame for the implementation of Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation (MiCA). EMSA is the EU securities regulator. The EU recently approved the legislation as it seeks to enable digital asset innovation while incorporating investor protection… Read More

June 14, 2023 @ 3:11 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Federal Reserve has decided to pause rate hikes as it aims to assess the impact of the past rate hikes that have been some of the fastest in history. The Federal Funds Rate will remain at 5 to 5-1/4%. The Federal Open Market… Read More

June 14, 2023 @ 2:21 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Gordon Liao from Circle Internet Financial and Thomas Hadeed noted in a study titled, Beyond Speculation: Payment Stablecoins for Real-time Gross Settlements, that  empirical evidence shows “a notable shift in the usage of stablecoins, a form of digital currency transacted over distributed ledgers, in recent… Read More

June 14, 2023 @ 9:45 am By JD Alois  |  

The Bundesverband Crowdfunding eV (German Crowdfunding Association) has endorsed the draft bill for the Future Financing Act presented by the German Government. Germany, the largest economy in  Europe, has yet to have a single securities crowdfunding platform approved under new EU rules. ECSPR, or European… Read More

June 13, 2023 @ 11:17 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Like many in the blockchain and web3 ecosystem, DFINITY says they have been watching recent regulatory developments in the United States with some alarm. As noted in a blog post, the SEC in particular, has been “taking wide-ranging actions across the industry.” DFINITY says they… Read More

June 13, 2023 @ 7:56 pm By JD Alois  |  

DealMaker has emerged as a top online capital formation platform providing services to enable the primary issuance of securities across the full stack of crowdfunding exemptions. This includes Reg CF, Reg A+, and Reg D. At the same time, due to its base of operations… Read More

June 13, 2023 @ 5:16 pm By JD Alois  |  

In a bit of a stealth rulemaking attempt, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has proposed new rules that would impact the definition of an exchange. The amendments regarding the definition would also impact Alternative Trading Systems (ATSs).  As the SEC deems all digital assets… Read More

June 13, 2023 @ 2:44 pm By JD Alois  |  

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer and Representative Warren Davidson have revealed legislation that aims to remove SEC Chair Gary Gensler. Gensler has received fire from members of Congress who believe he has not pursued rule-making to enable digital asset innovation while focusing his efforts on… Read More

June 13, 2023 @ 10:10 am By JD Alois  |  

At today’s opening of London Tech Week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he sees the UK as an “island of innovation.” Sunak reported that the UK has created 134 unicorns in the last ten years, stating that the UK is one of the most “digitally… Read More

June 12, 2023 @ 3:16 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission’s pursuit of digital assets or crypto assets deemed to be securities is ripping through the crypto marketplace. In the recent enforcement action filed by the SEC against Coinbase  (NASDAQ:COIN), the Commission highlighted multiple digital assets it believes are securities and… Read More

June 12, 2023 @ 12:15 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Last week, IOG (which stands for Input Output Global – one of the organizations supporting Cardano (ADA) development) noted that they are aware of the recent complaints by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) against Binance & Coinbase, which “contain references to the organization, the… Read More

June 11, 2023 @ 12:11 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The attention of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the Commission) in Nigeria has been drawn to the website operated by Binance Nigeria Limited, “soliciting the Nigerian public to trade crypto assets on its various web and mobile-enabled platforms.” Binance Nigeria Limited is “neither registered nor… Read More

June 10, 2023 @ 5:54 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is claiming a significant legal victory in the litigation of Ooki DAO. According to the CFTC, the decentralized autonomous organization has received a default judgment in which the court held that Ooki DAO is a “person” under the Commodity… Read More

June 10, 2023 @ 4:56 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Department of Justice has charged two Russians, Alexey Bilyuchenko, 43, and Aleksandr Verner, 29, with the hacking of Mt. Gox. The crypto exchange was plundered in 2011 and ultimately collapsed. At the same time, the Russians have been charged with operating the BTC-e… Read More

June 9, 2023 @ 3:44 pm By JD Alois  |  

DF Growth REIT II, LLC, managed by DiversyFund, has been hit with a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) administrative action. According to the SEC, DF Growth REIT II failed to adhere to certain requirements for securities issued under Reg A+, a JOBS Act exemption that… Read More

June 9, 2023 @ 9:12 am By JD Alois  |  

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CommBank) has decided to block certain payments to some crypto exchanges beginning this week. CommBank is the largest bank in Australia. In a FAQ, CommBank said they are making these changes due to the risk of fraud: “Interest in cryptocurrencies… Read More

June 9, 2023 @ 8:57 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Binance.US revealed on Thursday (June 8, 2023) that it will be suspending US dollar deposits and that its banking partners are getting ready to suspend fiat US dollar withdrawal options as early as June 13, 2023. This update has come a few days after US… Read More

June 8, 2023 @ 11:46 am By JD Alois  |  

As was previously covered, the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has proposed new marketing rules for crypto offerings. The rules aim to largely align with current financial product requirements while also incorporating a “cooling off period.” In brief, digital asset investors must acknowledge they can… Read More

June 8, 2023 @ 9:50 am By JD Alois  |  

Senator Cynthia Lummis, one of the most crypto-supportive members of the US Senate, has issued a statement regarding the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) decision to file an enforcement action against Coinbase (NASDAQ:COIN) – a company the SEC approved to go public. Lummis said the… Read More