Politics, Legal & Regulation

December 22, 2020 @ 7:15 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Crypto Rating Council, launched in 2019 by a handful of high profile blockchain-based firms, rates Ripple’s native crypto XRP a 4 out of a scale from 1 to 5 in assessing whether the digital asset is a security under the CRC Securities Framework Asset… Read More

December 22, 2020 @ 3:56 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has publicly posted the complaint charging Ripple with the sale of an unregistered security. Including in the enforcement action are Christian Larsen, the company’s co-founder, executive chairman of its board, and former CEO; and Bradley Garlinghouse, the company’s current… Read More

December 22, 2020 @ 12:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

To issue securities under Reg CF (Regulation Crowdfunding), a platform must either be a FINRA regulated funding portal or a broker-dealer. In this sector of online capital formation, both types of regulated entities issue securities under this rule. Periodically, we re-visit the number of FINRA… Read More

December 22, 2020 @ 8:38 am By JD Alois  |  

Ripple has posted a response to a Wells Notice received by the blockchain firm. A Wells Notice is a document sent to an entity or individual giving notice of a pending enforcement action following an investigation by the securities regulator. Yesterday, it was reported that… Read More

December 21, 2020 @ 10:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Peter Van Valkenburgh, the Director of Research at Coin Center, a leading non-profit entity focused on the latest policy issues facing digital currencies, notes that during the past few years we’ve seen countries like Switzerland, Singapore, and the Netherlands adopt a technology-focused approach to regulating… Read More

December 21, 2020 @ 9:12 pm By JD Alois  |  

Ripple, the creator of XRP the third-largest crypto by market cap of over $22 billion, is the target of a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement action. Rumors have been circulating for some time now that Ripple had received a Wells Notice – an indication… Read More

December 21, 2020 @ 7:56 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has accepted an offer to settle from ShipChain, a company that apparently raised $27.5 million in an initial coin offering (ICO) for SHIP tokens. The SEC states that ShipChain is a private company that was engaged in developing a… Read More

December 20, 2020 @ 6:30 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Cynthia Marie Lummis Wiederspahn, an American politician and attorney who is the U.S. Senator-elect from Wyoming (having been elected to succeed Mike Enzi in 2020), reveals that she’s been doing work on the “rumored” transaction reporting rule (potentially) impacting crypto-assets (currently being contemplated by the… Read More

December 20, 2020 @ 4:10 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Chinese authorities may consider further tightening control over large Fintech companies by restricting or limiting the number of banking institutions they can work with, according to the Securities Times which cited recent statements from a former Chinese finance minister. As first reported by Bloomberg, bad… Read More

December 19, 2020 @ 12:29 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

On December 18, 2020, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) published a proposed rule change for digital currency transactions with “unhosted” wallets. Under the newly proposed change, banking institutions, and money services businesses (MSBs) may be required to verify customers’ identities and turn in reports… Read More

December 18, 2020 @ 11:46 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation (OASB), has published its annual report and there is plenty of interesting information included in the document. The OASB is a relatively new entity having been mandated by Congress in… Read More

December 17, 2020 @ 11:11 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), the regulator of the nation’s securities and commodities market, announced on Wednesday (December 16, 2020) that it has updated guidelines related to establishing asset management companies (AMCs) for Fintech firms and other startups. SEBI confirmed that it… Read More

December 17, 2020 @ 5:27 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has published a Digital Assets Primer to provide information to the public about emerging concepts in digital assets. The document is said to be part of a series by LabCFTC, a relatively new division at the Commission that focuses… Read More

December 17, 2020 @ 11:07 am By JD Alois  |  

UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has extended the government-guaranteed Covid-19 business loan schemes until the end of March. The announcement was joined by confirmation that the furlough scheme has been extended until the end of April 2021. The Chancellor said: “Our package of… Read More

December 17, 2020 @ 9:12 am By JD Alois  |  

The same week that Robinhood took a broadside hit by the state of Massachusetts securities regulator, the digital investment platform has now been charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with misleading customers on how it generates revenue. Robinhood strategically settled the charges with… Read More

December 17, 2020 @ 7:57 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Luxembourg House of Financial Technology (LHoFT), an organization focused on driving innovation for financial services in Luxembourg by connecting the local and global Fintech industry participants, recently shared an update from Luc Falempin, the CEO at Tokeny Solutions, a company that aims to drive… Read More

December 16, 2020 @ 2:09 pm By JD Alois  |  

Germany has legalized securities managed via blockchain technology, according to a statement by the German government. Enabling digital securities is part of a broader strategy in enabling new technology. The Federal Cabinet has approved the draft law on the introduction of electronic securities that was… Read More

December 16, 2020 @ 11:44 am By JD Alois  |  

As was previously reported, the State of Massachusetts, Office of the Security of the Commonwealth Securities Division, has filed a complaint against Robinhood, a popular online trading platform providing access to traditional securities as well as crypto. The complaint alleges that Robinhood engaged in acts… Read More

December 16, 2020 @ 8:29 am By JD Alois  |  

Robinhood, a digital investment platform that has encouraged a new generation of investors to enter the markets, is a target of an administrative complaint by the State of Massachusetts, according to the WSJ.com According to the report, Massachusetts Securities Division said that “Robinhood failed to… Read More

December 15, 2020 @ 6:14 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has charged Karina Chairez, said to be a promoter of the AirBit Club investment scheme that targeted Latinx and Spanish-speaking communities, for acting as an unregistered broker. The SEC notes that it previously brought similar charges against two other… Read More