Politics, Legal & Regulation

July 27, 2026 @ 10:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

TRM Labs has noted that on July 24, 2026, the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) significantly widened its Iran-related sanctions by designating additional individuals and companies linked to Iranian businessman Babak Zanjani and the associated Dot One commercial network…. Read More

July 27, 2026 @ 4:03 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed Registered Offering Reform this past May. The rule change has been receiving comments with a deadline of today. The goal is to make it easier for public firms, especially smaller ones, to raise money through a registered offering. A… Read More

July 27, 2026 @ 2:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Ongoing efforts sharply focused on advancing more comprehensive cryptocurrency / blockchain market structure legislation in the US Senate have encountered significant new resistance over ethics rules that are intended to limit financial conflicts involving senior government officials and digital assets. Lawmakers from both parties are… Read More

July 27, 2026 @ 9:40 am By JD Alois  |  

The CLARITY Act, crypto market-infrastructure legislation, is approaching a floor vote in the US Senate. While the typical negotiations continue between proponents and those seeking to undermine digital asset innovation, Senate Republicans have been working to highlight the benefits of the bill. The most recent… Read More

July 27, 2026 @ 8:16 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Chainalysis has pointed out that on July 23, 2026, the European Union adopted its 21st package of sanctions against Russia, representing the most extensive set of designations in four years and encompassing 218 listings overall. The measures focus heavily on disrupting Russia’s financial systems that… Read More

July 27, 2026 @ 2:12 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Efforts to advance major cryptocurrency legislation in the US Senate are encountering significant timing obstacles as lawmakers approach their summer break. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has indicated limited confidence in securing full passage of the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act, commonly referred to as… Read More

July 26, 2026 @ 9:26 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Global payments fintech Wise (LON:WISE) has confirmed it intends to file a new application for a US national trust bank charter following the rejection of its earlier submission by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. On July 23, 2026, the OCC informed the… Read More

July 26, 2026 @ 7:18 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

BitMEX and its co-founders are once again facing legal challenges in the United States, this time through a newly filed class-action lawsuit that accuses the crypto derivatives platform of operating a secret internal trading operation against its own customers. The complaint was submitted on July… Read More

July 25, 2026 @ 4:42 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

A New York state court has refused to throw out a major lawsuit targeting the company behind the popular Zelle payment service, allowing claims of widespread consumer fraud to move forward. The ruling represents a significant setback for Early Warning Services, the operator of Zelle,… Read More

July 24, 2026 @ 1:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

The probability that the CLARITY Act will be voted on in the US Senate before the August recess is in decline. Kalshi currently has a 40% chance of a vote on the bill taking place before August 8th. On July 20th, the probability was over… Read More

July 24, 2026 @ 11:27 am By JD Alois  |  

The GENIUS Act became law in 2025, but rules crafted by various regulators were due on July 18, 2026. Today, the American Fintech Council distributed a statement on the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and its AML/CFT requirements. The OCC’s proposal is viewable… Read More

July 23, 2026 @ 12:54 pm By JD Alois  |  

Updated language in the CLARITY Act was revealed yesterday in an attempt to sway Democrat members of the Senate to support the legislation. New language covering ethics was added to mollify members who claimed that participation by President Trump needed to be addressed. Unfortunately, it… Read More

July 23, 2026 @ 9:08 am By JD Alois  |  

The European Commission has penalized global tech firm Google [Alphabet] (NASDAQ:GOOG) under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) for the transgression of allegedly preferencing its own services on search over competitors. Google has been fined €890 million (over $1 billion). The EU claims that Google obfuscated… Read More

July 22, 2026 @ 10:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Russia’s lower house of parliament has introduced and advanced legislation aimed at establishing a comprehensive regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies. The move reflects the country’s evolving stance on digital currencies, balancing innovation, economic utility in international trade, and strict oversight to mitigate risks for ordinary citizens…. Read More

July 22, 2026 @ 9:22 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

MVMT Labs, the original research and development company responsible for the foundational technology of the Movement Network, has filed for reorganization under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code. The petition was submitted to the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware in early… Read More

July 22, 2026 @ 3:32 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Digital Chamber (TDC) has initiated legal action against Illinois to prevent a novel tax on digital asset activities from taking effect. This move marks an early courtroom test of state-level efforts to impose transaction-based levies on blockchain-related services, highlighting ongoing debates about innovation, economic… Read More

July 22, 2026 @ 2:07 pm By JD Alois  |  

The updated language of the CLARITY Act is circulating now on social media. The bill now incorporates ethics provisions that bar certain government officials from various digital asset activities, including the issuance or promotion of digital assets. Pre-existing interests may be placed in a blind… Read More

July 22, 2026 @ 11:45 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Crypto Task Force lead, Commissioner Hester Peirce, has issued a statement on “crypto vaults and lending strategies.” In brief, the Commissioner addresses the varying and changing strategies crypto holders utilize to generate yield. Expanding on a prior statement that… Read More

July 22, 2026 @ 11:10 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) entered a dark period during the tenure of former Chairman Gary Gensler. Ambitious and smart, Gensler sought to appease his political allies to earn a higher position in the Biden/Harris administration by pursuing radical policy goals, ignoring the SEC’s… Read More

July 22, 2026 @ 9:37 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has shared that it will work with top-tier AI firm Anthropic on its “Supercharged Sandbox,” an environment where firms can test AI products and models geared towards financial services. The FCA stated that all accepted entities will gain access… Read More