Politics, Legal & Regulation

June 21, 2018 @ 5:05 am By Erin Hobey  |  

The Crypto Valley Association (CVA), a global blockchain and cryptographic technology ecosystem, has partnered with BDO Switzerland, one of the country’s leading providers of auditing, accounting, tax and advisory services. “We are delighted to welcome BDO as a Strategic Partner. The development of blockchain technology is adding… Read More

June 20, 2018 @ 7:33 pm By Cali Haan  |  

The US Office of Government Ethics (OGE) has issued guidance to government employees stating that, for the time being, the OGE regards cryptocurrencies as investments and Government employees must disclose their holdings. A document entitled, “Guidance for Reporting Virtual Currency on Financial Disclosure” issued June… Read More

June 20, 2018 @ 11:13 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has received an additional emergency court order freezing the assets of Dominic Lacroix. The freeze is part of an ongoing enforcement action that stems from some time ago. The SEC had previously sued for securities fraud and had obtained… Read More

June 20, 2018 @ 7:59 am By Cali Haan  |  

The president of the Chicago Board Options Exchange (Cboe), the first US company to sell futures contracts on Bitcoin, has warned that “two waves of reckoning” will come down on issuers and then holders of ICOs (initial coin offerings) in the US, Business Insider reports…. Read More

June 20, 2018 @ 7:52 am By Cali Haan  |  

Yet another computer-savant smart enough to have allegedly managed a vast Dark Web marketplace yet not quite smart enough to avoid countries with extradition treaties with the US is on his way there to face charges of conspiracy to traffic drugs and launder money. According… Read More

June 18, 2018 @ 7:23 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Bank of International Settlements (BIS) is out with a report on cryptocurrencies that hammers the new technology. Created in 1930, a time of profound economic uncertainty, BIS serves central banks by promoting financial stability and cooperation. The BIS is actually owned by 60 central banks,… Read More

June 18, 2018 @ 6:56 pm By JD Alois  |  

The House Financial Services Subcommittee on Terrorism and Illicit Finance, has scheduled a hearing on June 20th on the topic of “Illicit Use of Virtual Currency and the Law Enforcement Response.” This is an important topic that impacts all cryptocurrencies so expect wide viewership from… Read More

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

The European Crowdfunding Network (ECN) is the leading independent advocate for Fintech innovation, including crowdfunding, in Europe. The ECN has earned a reputation of engaging with a broad group of industry participants, thought leaders and public officials to help guide the evolution of new forms… Read More

June 17, 2018 @ 2:05 pm By JD Alois  |  

In April of this year, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) commented on the status of cryptocurrencies. The RBI stated “we have decided to ring fence the RBI regulated entities from the risk of dealing with entities associated with virtual currencies. They are required to… Read More

June 15, 2018 @ 11:27 am By JD Alois  |  

Fintech is gaining another boost today as the UK International Trade Secretary Dr. Liam Fox, MP, has launched a new Fintech investment drive. The UK is a leading Fintech hub. The fact the UK government has been very supportive of Fintech innovation is one of… Read More

June 14, 2018 @ 8:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

Ethereum rose dramatically today following the comments of William Hinman, Director of the Division of Corporate Finance at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), who inserted a statement in a speech today that ended the question of Ethereum being a security. Hinman told an audience… Read More

June 14, 2018 @ 1:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

Ethereum Not a Security Speaking at the Yahoo Finance conference in San Francisco today, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Director of Corporate Finance William Hinman tackled the topic of morphing initial coin offerings (ICOs) and whether an ICO could start life as a security and… Read More

June 14, 2018 @ 10:49 am By JD Alois  |  

In a speech delivered by the President of BAFIN Felix Hufeld, Germany’s Federal Financial Supervisory Authority, addressed the topic of blockchain, Bitcoin and cryptocurrency in general. According to BAFIN’s President, blockchain is a very promising technology. But when it comes to crypto, well not so… Read More

June 13, 2018 @ 9:56 am By Cali Haan  |  

Police in Japan have charged three individuals with infecting the computers of unsuspecting individuals with malware that mines the privacy cryptocurrency Monero. According to the Japanese daily news provider Mainichi, the three individuals are accused of setting up web sites designed to attract and then surreptitiously… Read More

June 12, 2018 @ 10:50 pm By Cali Haan  |  

A LocalBitcoins seller, known as “Bitcoin Maven,” who plead guilty to running an unregistered money transmission business and laundering drug money for Bitcoin, had her sentencing postponed yesterday at a federal court in LA. As part of a pre-indictment plea agreement, Theresa Tetley, 50, pleaded… Read More

June 12, 2018 @ 12:01 pm By Cali Haan  |  

The Guardian Newspaper has reported that Brittany Kaiser, a director at Cambridge Analytica, a data firm tied to election interference across the globe, told friends that she visited Julian Assange at the Ecuadorian embassy in February 2017 to discuss the outcome of the 2016 US… Read More

June 12, 2018 @ 11:26 am By JD Alois  |  

The House Financial Services Committee has scheduled a hearing entitled “Financial Industry Regulation: the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.” The hearing, which will involve the Comptroller of the OCC Joseph Otting, will take place on Wednesday, June 13 at 10AM ET at the Rayburn… Read More

June 12, 2018 @ 8:03 am By JD Alois  |  

Lithuania has published a set of guidelines seeking to provide greater clarity for cryptocurrencies and initial coin offerings (ICOs). Vilius Šapoka, the Lithuanian Minister of Finance, wrote that his country has seen an ” explosion of ICOs and blockchain based projects.” This explosion has created… Read More

June 11, 2018 @ 8:13 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) has published a notice addressing the issue of initial coin offerings (ICOs) and whether, or not, these tokens are securities. The document by the CSA leaves little room for utility tokens to actually exist – at least not in the… Read More

June 11, 2018 @ 6:00 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Brett Redfearn, the Director of the Division of Trading and Markets at the SEC has criticized crypto producers and exchanges for failing to voluntarily register and report their activities to the SEC. “We’re underwhelmed by the enthusiasm for coming within the regulatory structure right now,”… Read More