Politics, Legal & Regulation

February 23, 2019 @ 10:10 am By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this month, the Quebec Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF), along with the Financial Markets Administrative Tribunal issued “conservatory orders” against Crypto Technologies Inc. (DBA Make It Mine), and principles David Fortin-Dominguez and Samory Proulx-Oloko for “failures to comply with the Securities Act.” The order was the… Read More

February 22, 2019 @ 7:50 am By Cali Haan  |  

In January, a private heart clinic located in a Melbourne’s Cabrini hospital had 15 000 patients’ medical records locked in a ransomware attack that emanated from Russia or North Korea, 9News reports. A cryptocurrency ransom to unlock the data was subsequently demanded. The records were… Read More

February 21, 2019 @ 6:24 pm By JD Alois  |  

Crowdfunding has been legal in Canada for some time now but in Canada, securities are managed and regulated at the provincial level thus creating a bit of a regulatory mishmash which proves difficult and costly to firms. Issuers must be certain to manage any provincial… Read More

February 20, 2019 @ 7:55 pm By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed a reform that would permit potential issuers to gauge investor interest prior to pursuing an offering. According to the SEC, the new rule and related amendments would expand the “test-the-waters” process, currently available to emerging growth companies or “EGCs,”… Read More

February 20, 2019 @ 7:36 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Gladius Network, LLC, a company that raised $12.7 million dollars via ICO (initial coin offering) in late 2017 to, “develop a network for renting spare computer bandwidth to defend against cyber attacks and enhance delivery speed,” has settled with the SEC after self-reporting its unregistered… Read More

February 20, 2019 @ 3:17 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Rise, a German company marketing a forthcoming initial coin offering (ICO) with a campaign featuring a “democratize prosperity” slogan and a video of a homeless man driving a Lamborghini, has had its “virtual IPO” (ICO) scuttled by Germany’s Federal Supervisory Authority (Bafin), Handelsblatt reports. The… Read More

February 20, 2019 @ 3:04 am By Cali Haan  |  

Police in India have arrested four and are seeking a fifth suspect whom they believe used a cryptocurrency scam to steal 1 billion rupees (nearly $14 million) from investors in Mumbai, Surat, Gujarat, and Uttar Pradesh, Times of India reports. The men, Sanjay Sontakke, 44; Rajnikant Kumavat, 46; Alpesh… Read More

February 20, 2019 @ 1:44 am By Cali Haan  |  

Europol, Interpol and the Basel Institute on Governance will host the 3rd annual Global Conference on Criminal Finances and Cryptocurrencies in the Hague, Netherlands, March 6th and 7th. This year’s conference will be distinct from previous ones, says Europol, in that focus will be placed on… Read More

February 19, 2019 @ 11:03 pm By Cali Haan  |  

In addition to its standard warnings about the generalized risks of ICO-investing and advice to interested ICO issuers that they read the SEC’s 2017 21(a) report, the agency’s latest guide to ICOs (initial coin offerings) gets more specific about the “fraud and manipulation” risks posed… Read More

February 18, 2019 @ 7:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Chinese Ministry of Public Security has revealed that over 380 peer to peer lending platforms are currently under investigation. A release by Xinhua on Sunday said that about USD $1.5 billion in P2P lending assets were involved. Apparently, the Chinese police have seized or frozen cash,… Read More

February 18, 2019 @ 9:16 am By JD Alois  |  

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), has applied to join the Global Financial Innovation Network (GFIN) as an observer. GFIN is a global Fintech Sandbox project orchestrated by the UK. GFIN claims a good number of global regulators – each looking to facilitate… Read More

February 15, 2019 @ 10:57 pm By JD Alois  |  

There has been a good amount of discussion regarding the decision by Judge Gonzalo Curiel, of the US District Court for the Southern District of California, to grant the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) bid for a preliminary injunction against crypto company Blockvest LLC. Initially, the Court… Read More

February 15, 2019 @ 11:19 am By JD Alois  |  

Today, the European Commission adopted the 2018 edition of the General Report. According to the Commission, this fulfills its legal obligation under the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. The report shows how the EU is delivering on its commitments to Europeans. The Commission… Read More

February 15, 2019 @ 9:22 am By JD Alois  |  

The Commodities Trading Futures Commission posted their examination priorities for 2019 this past week and included on the list was cryptocurrencies. These priorities are for registrants of the Division of Market Oversight (DMO), Division of Swap Dealer & Intermediary Oversight (DSIO), and Division of Clearing &… Read More

February 15, 2019 @ 8:46 am By JD Alois  |  

In a valentine’s day reprieve, the Securities and Exchange Commission was granted a preliminary injunction against Blockvest LLC and its founder, Reginald Buddy Ringgold, III, pertaining to allegations of fraud connected with an initial coin offering (ICO). The judge overseeing the proceedings reconsidered the court’s previous order… Read More

February 15, 2019 @ 8:13 am By JD Alois  |  

Wyoming, a state that is small in population but huge in blockchain aspirations, is continuing to enact laws that are pro cryptocurrency and blockchain. The most recent legislation passed is SF125 – a bill that recognizes property rights for digital assets. Sponsored by State Senator… Read More

February 14, 2019 @ 7:08 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Exchange-traded fund provider Reality Shares has withdrawn its application to have its proposed “Reality Shares Blockforce Global Currency Strategy ETF” approved by the SEC- one day after the request was initially filed, Bitcoin.com reports. According to the “request for withdrawal,” the demand was made at… Read More

February 14, 2019 @ 2:39 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Bank of England (BoE) has published its Supervision of Financial Market Infrastructures (FMIs) – Annual Report. And inevitably buried within there are some interesting comments when it comes to innovations in finance. The Bank regulates FMIs in three broad categories: payment systems, central securities depositories… Read More

February 14, 2019 @ 1:04 am By Cali Haan  |  

A “nationwide simultaneous operation” executed in 8 Turkish provinces has netted 24 individuals accused of conspiring to rob 13 million Turkish liras ($2.47 million) from “a cryptocurrency company” in Istanbul, The Daily Sabah reports. After receiving a complaint from the targeted business, law enforcement officers at… Read More

February 13, 2019 @ 10:12 am By JD Alois  |  

Hacked cryptocurrency exchange Cryptopioa has been given a green light to re-open its platform, according to a report in The New Zealand Herald. Authorities of the local Police’s High Tech Crime Group are quoted on the permission. Detective Inspector Greg Murton stated: “We have finished the… Read More