Politics, Legal & Regulation

December 28, 2018 @ 8:50 am By JD Alois  |  

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued a brief statement in light of the government shutdown predicated by the political impasse between the Trump administration and Congress. President Trump has said he will not sign a bill funding the government unless funding for… Read More

December 28, 2018 @ 8:28 am By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this month, the French Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) and the Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de resolution (ACPR) added many more names of websites that are allegedly offering cryptocurrency trading and access to crypto-based derivatives. The AMF said these sites lack the necessary authorization… Read More

December 27, 2018 @ 6:44 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Mark Carpeles, the disgraced former CEO of the now-defunct early Bitcoin exchange Mt Gox, has told a Japanese court that he did not embezzle 340 million yen (~$3 million USD) from the exchange in 2013, NHK reports. Mt Gox fell apart in the early months… Read More

December 27, 2018 @ 5:02 pm By Cali Haan  |  

The importance of storing one’s cryptocurrency safely was highlighted in South Korea this week when a court there decided that Korean crypto exchange Bithumb is not liable for customer funds hacked from an account there, Han Kyung reports. According to the outlet, an investor with… Read More

December 27, 2018 @ 6:26 am By Erin Hobey  |  

‘Tis the season for decking halls, lighting candles, spending time with family and friends, reflecting on 2018 and thinking ahead to 2019 and new trends in the global Fintech market. Crowdfund Insider reached out to the Fintech community members to look into their crystal balls… Read More

December 24, 2018 @ 12:18 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier this month, Templum, a digital asset trading platform, submitted a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requesting regulatory clarity on certain issues in the securities token space. Specifically, Templum asked the SEC to “provide needed guidance related to post-trade activities in the… Read More

December 24, 2018 @ 10:18 am By Cali Haan  |  

The Central Bank of Israel is soliciting position papers from the general public regarding how the country should support and regulate domestic cryptocurrency/security token ventures and distributed ledger technology (DLT) for finance in the country. The bank has assembled a team (“The Interministerial Team for Regulatory… Read More

December 24, 2018 @ 9:58 am By Cali Haan  |  

Russian Deputy Finance Minister Alexei Moiseyev has told the local press his ministry is exploring the creation of a digital currency for the EAEU region – in part as a response to international sanctions, Rambler reports. Moiseyev says the currency may be expected in 2020… Read More

December 23, 2018 @ 9:55 am By Cali Haan  |  

Cybercrime police in the Indian city of Pune have arrested 10 individuals accused of defrauding 8000 investors in a Bitcoin-related Ponzi scheme called “GB21.” According to The Times of India, the leader of the scheme, Amit Bharadwaj, and his brother Vivek, ran a company called Gain Bitcoin,… Read More

December 22, 2018 @ 5:08 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Republican Senator for Texas Ted Cruz and Congressman Mike Gallagher, a Republican from Wisconsin, introduced a new bill into the American Senate and House Thursday, a bill designed to “impose maximum financial pressure on Iran. The “Blocking Iranian Illicit Finance Act” (H.R.7321) was also co-sponsored… Read More

December 22, 2018 @ 2:14 pm By Cali Haan  |  

About one week after its CEO delivered a keynote address to the Korean parliament on the regulation of crypto markets there, the Upbit cryptocurrency exchange’s board chair, finance director and an employee have been indicted for allegedly, “inflat(ing) the volume of transactions by making ($226.2… Read More

December 21, 2018 @ 5:02 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced the selection of Martha Legg Miller as the very first “Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation.” The position was created by legislation signed into law during the final days of the Obama Administration in a legislative push to… Read More

December 21, 2018 @ 3:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

Earlier today, CI wrote about a new bill that has been introduced into Congress by Representatives Warren Davidson and Darren Soto. HR 7356 or the “Token Taxonomy Act” is designed to provide legal clarity for initial coin offerings that may not be securities. The legislation has… Read More

December 21, 2018 @ 2:28 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) settled proceedings against Wealthfront Advisors LLC and Hedgeable, Inc, regarding claims of making false statements and publishing misleading advertising. This enforcement action marks the first the SEC has taken against Robo-advisors – a hot sector of Fintech. Wealthfront, a… Read More

December 21, 2018 @ 11:59 am By JD Alois  |  

This week, CI reported about a problem for Regulation A issuers (or Reg A+ as it is called). Speaking with Mark Elenowitz, a Wall Street veteran and CEO of Tripoint Global and Bank, he explained a nagging problem for issuers using the security exemption who… Read More

December 21, 2018 @ 11:18 am By JD Alois  |  

As long anticipated, legislation has been entered into Congress to address pressing questions regarding initial coin offerings (ICOs) and their current treatment as being regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as they are all considered to be securities. Representatives Warren Davidson and Darren… Read More

December 21, 2018 @ 7:51 am By JD Alois  |  

Kathy Kraninger was sworn in as Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on December 10, 2018, following another acrimonious round of Senate hearings. Kraninger, an experienced Congressional staffer and longtime DC veteran, has made the Bureau’s name and ongoing confusion surrounding its label as… Read More

December 20, 2018 @ 12:52 pm By JD Alois  |  

eToroX, a subsidiary of eToro, has been granted a distributed ledger technology (Dlicenseence from the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission (GFSC). eToro is a multi-asset trading platform that combines more traditional asset classes such as equities with crypto assets. eToro is regulated in Europe by the… Read More

December 19, 2018 @ 8:29 pm By JD Alois  |  

Today, Reg A+ received a big boost from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as they announced that reporting firms will soon be able to use the security exemption. Old Regulation A was an exemption that just about no one used – ever. It took… Read More

December 19, 2018 @ 2:37 pm By JD Alois  |  

Long requested by Reg A+ fans, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has approved final rules that will allow reporting companies to utilize the Regulation A (frequently referenced as Reg A+) exemption to raise capital. The amendments to Reg A+ will become effective upon publication in… Read More