Politics, Legal & Regulation

October 18, 2019 @ 6:59 pm By Roman Buzko and Mariam Gordiashvili  |  

The new law regulating crowdfunding in Russia will enter into force on January 1, 2020. Existing platforms must comply by July 1, 2020. Federal Law No. 259-FZ “On Investments Through Investment Platforms and Certain Amendments to Other Laws of the Russian Federation” dated August 2,… Read More

October 18, 2019 @ 3:39 pm By Cali Haan  |  

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has sent a letter to NYSE Arca stating it is reviewing its rejection of the company’s request to bring a Bitcoin “Bitwise” ETF to market. While the Commission reviews its decision, the rejection has been stayed. The letter… Read More

October 18, 2019 @ 12:08 pm By JD Alois  |  

Telegram has responded to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s enforcement action revealed last week. On October 11, the SEC filed an emergency action and obtained a temporary restraining order against Telegram. The SEC targeted an alleged unregistered, ongoing digital token offering in the U.S. and… Read More

October 18, 2019 @ 7:57 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The European Banking Authority (EBA), a regulatory agency that performs stress tests on European banks to increase transparency in the region’s financial system and identify weaknesses in institutions’ capital structures, has extended the deadline for the migration to Strong Customer Authentication (SCA) to December 31,… Read More

October 17, 2019 @ 8:32 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Telegram, makers of the popular mobile messaging app Telegram, have sent an email to GRAM token investors asking for a six-month extension on the launch of TON, a blockchain network financed by the company’s $1.7 billion USD 2018 token sale. The request for an extension… Read More

October 17, 2019 @ 12:15 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Swiss Federal Council received an update yesterday regarding the topic of stablecoins and Facebook’s Libra specifically. According to a post on the Swiss government website, Switzerland will continue to actively monitor discussions on new digital technologies such as blockchain/DLT and the country is generally… Read More

October 17, 2019 @ 11:41 am By JD Alois  |  

Congressman Patrick McHenry, the ranking member on the House Financial Services Committee, has posted an update regarding several leadership positions including the new Task Force on Fintech and Task Force on Artificial Intelligence. The following Representatives are now taking the designated leadership roles: Ranking Member… Read More

October 17, 2019 @ 11:28 am By Omar Faridi  |  

Denis Beau, deputy governor of Banque De France, the nation’s central bank, says that lawmakers should develop a comprehensive global regulatory framework for digital assets. Beau, whose comments came during a speech at an Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF) conference in London on… Read More

October 16, 2019 @ 8:24 pm By JD Alois  |  

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has filed a civil enforcement action against David Gilbert Saffron and Circle Society Corporation, based in Nevada. The CFTC alleges fraudulent solicitation, misappropriation, and registration violations relating to an $11 million binary options scheme Saffron operated through Circle Society…. Read More

October 16, 2019 @ 3:14 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

CipherTrace, the leading provider of cryptocurrency intelligence and blockchain security, announced on October 15 the launch of a comprehensive virtual asset tracing capability.  According to a press release shared with Crowdfund Insider, CipherTrace customers can trace Bitcoin (BTC) transactions and over 700 digital tokens following… Read More

October 15, 2019 @ 12:53 am By JD Alois  |  

Last week, Crowdfund Insider reported on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) enforcement action against Telegram and the issuance of Gram tokens. The move by the SEC is a doozy and telling. First, Telegram sold about $1.7 billion in a SAFT (simple agreement for future… Read More

October 14, 2019 @ 11:24 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier today, the Libra Assocation issued a release announcing that 21 members have signed the Libra Association Charter and formalized the Libra Association council, elected the Board of Directors, and appointed members of the Libra Association executive team. The news of Libra’s progress arrives while multiple… Read More

October 14, 2019 @ 10:59 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Letters from US lawmakers to members of the Libra Association asking them to, “carefully consider how your companies will manage risks before proceeding,” as backers of a Facebook cryptocurrency called “Libra” may have spurned last week’s corporate exodus from the project. On Friday, October 11th, Visa,… Read More

October 14, 2019 @ 10:26 pm By Cali Haan  |  

US Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin told Andrew Ross Sorkin at CNBC’s Squawk Box October 14th that initial backers of Facebook’s proposed in-app cryptocurrency project, Libra, probably realized the company was, “not ready….(and) not up to par” when they announced they were leaving the project in… Read More

October 14, 2019 @ 3:46 pm By Cali Haan  |  

A letter from a spokesperson for Telegram regarding the SEC’s emergency action to halt the sale of GRAM tokens to US investors has been making the rounds in the crypto media and on forums. In the the letter, “Shyam” states that Telegram, maker of a… Read More

October 14, 2019 @ 9:53 am By JD Alois  |  

The Group of 7 (G7), representing the 7 largest developed economies in the world, is preparing a report slamming Facebook’s Libra. The proposed stablecoin that aspires to be a non-sovereign global currency has been hammered since it was revealed earlier this year. Government officials from… Read More

October 14, 2019 @ 5:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Facebook’s attempt to launch a global non-sovereign currency was doomed from the beginning for many reasons. While Facebook will continue to put a smiley face on Libra, in its current form, it is just not happening. And this is not just about Facebook’s penchant to… Read More

October 13, 2019 @ 12:46 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

Facebook’s subsidiary Calibra is being sued for trademark infringement by Current, the developer of a mobile banking app. The complaint was submitted on October 10 in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York. It alleges that Calibra’s logo is quite similar… Read More

October 12, 2019 @ 5:21 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed a notice regarding Box Exchange, a partner of tZero, pertaining to the launch of the Boston Securities and Token Exchange (BSTX) which is seeking regulatory approval to offer publicly traded security tokens. tZero is a subsidiary of… Read More

October 11, 2019 @ 12:25 pm By JD Alois  |  

The leaders of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have issued the following joint statement pertaining to anti-money laundering (AML) and countering the financing of terrorism (CFT) regarding digital assets, such… Read More