Politics, Legal & Regulation

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

June 10, 2018 @ 6:54 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Canadian Government, under the auspices of the Department of Finance, has published a series of updated rules to strengthen Canada’s AML / ATF Regime that includes regulating businesses dealing in virtual currency. The Canadian government states that the fast changing financial services industry is being… Read More

June 8, 2018 @ 11:44 am By JD Alois  |  

Yesterday, the Securities and Exchange Commission, Division of Enforcement, posted an update on the Titanium Blockchain enforcement action that reviewed the preliminary injunction filed against the firm. A quick review of the update indicated little new pertaining to the SEC’s move to shut down the… Read More

June 8, 2018 @ 9:27 am By JD Alois  |  

On May 25th 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) entered into force. GDPR is a EU law on data protection and privacy for individuals – an area of profound importance in the digital universe. GDPR seeks to give more control to EU citizens over… Read More

June 7, 2018 @ 10:12 am By Cali Haan  |  

Cryptocurrency used to fundraise for business ventures are regulated securities, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin are not, and relevant laws will reman, the same, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairperson, Jay Clayton, said yesterday on CNBC. The point made by Clayton draws a hard line for any… Read More

June 6, 2018 @ 4:21 pm By JD Alois  |  

It has been widely reported today that mutual fund giant Fidelity is hiring a “DevOps System Engineer to help engineer, create and deploy a Digital Asset exchange.” The fact that Fidelity is going crypto is just further validation of the digital asset revolution that is… Read More

June 5, 2018 @ 10:31 pm By Cali Haan  |  

According to China News Weekly, Xiao Wei, Chief Blockchain Scientist at Baidu, China’s Internet search giant, announced this weekend at a conference that Baidu has developed a high-performance “super chain” blockchain and will soon be, “completing a blockchain transformation of its own business.” The news follows… Read More

June 5, 2018 @ 5:57 pm By JD Alois  |  

U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chair J. Christopher Giancarlo testified before a Senate subcommittee today to review the Fiscal Year 2019 funding requests and budget justifications for the CFTC, alongside U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Jay Clayton. Giancarlo requested a “modest increase” in… Read More

June 5, 2018 @ 12:37 pm By JD Alois  |  

How times have changed. Ripple Labs, creators of the third largest cryptocurrency (CRP) by market cap following only Bitcoin and Ethereum, have hired two well known big legal guns to defend their case in the California Courts. Ripple has hired former SEC Chair Mary Jo… Read More

June 5, 2018 @ 9:46 am By JD Alois  |  

France decided earlier this year they wanted their country to be a destination of choice for initial coin offerings (ICO). The mission was outlined by Bruno Le Maire, the Minister of the Economy and Finance of France, who labeled cryptocurrencies a revolution. Now we have a… Read More

June 4, 2018 @ 6:51 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has appointed Valerie A. Szczepanik as the Associate Director of the Division of Corporation Finance and Senior Advisor for Digital Assets and Innovation. This is a newly created position and highlights the growing recognition by the Commission that digital… Read More

June 4, 2018 @ 4:52 pm By JD Alois  |  

CFTC Chair J. Christopher Giancarlo and SEC Chair Jay Clayton will be visiting Capitol Hill together once again to testify before a Senate Subcommittee. This time, Clayton and Giancarlo will be testifying before the Senate Committee On Appropriations Subcommittee on Budget Requests, tomorrow (June 5, 2018)… Read More

June 4, 2018 @ 7:34 am By JD Alois  |  

Current Senate staffer Elad Roisman has been selected to fill the vacancy as a Commissioner at the Securities and Exchange Commission. President Trump nominated Roisman last Friday to replace Commissioner Michael Piwowar who announced earlier this year he will be departing the SEC this summer…. Read More

June 4, 2018 @ 6:47 am By Shaswat K. Das and Richard S. Garabedian  |  

Over the past few years, continued advancements in the payments industry and financial services technology have significantly expanded the way money financial transactions are processed and managed.  Banks and payment and technology firms are accelerating efforts to innovate and adapt financial services alternatives to meet… Read More

May 31, 2018 @ 11:15 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Earlier this month we reported that Venezuela tired to increase demand for its new and controversial state cryptocurrency, El Petro, by offering India a 30% discount on oil purchased with the currency. Venezuelan officials reportedly travelled to several potentially sympathetic countries earlier this year trying… Read More

May 31, 2018 @ 2:56 pm By Cali Haan  |  

Venezuelan customs officials have been blocking imports of cryptocurrency mining equipment arriving in the country by land and by sea since April, Noticiero Digital and El Interes reports. GPU and ASIC rigs, related cards and processors, power packs and even mobile phones are reportedly being swept… Read More

May 31, 2018 @ 2:31 pm By JD Alois  |  

According to multiple reports, the Finance Committee of the Knesset convened a special meeting yesterday seeking to postpone a law regulating cryptocurrency exchanges. The original law was said to take effect on June 1 but was delayed by four months. Recently, the Israeli Ministry of… Read More

May 31, 2018 @ 7:54 am By Cali Haan  |  

Coindesk is reporting that Baidu Baike, China’s Wikipedia-style site, is now tracking revisions made to articles on a blockchain. According to Coindesk reporter Wolfie Zhao, Baidu has not yet publicly announced blockchain developments at Baidu Baike, although they did confirm with Zhao over WeChat that… Read More

May 30, 2018 @ 11:00 pm By Samuel Guzik  |  

  If the Wall Street Journal is any indicator, so called Regulation A+ offerings, which sprung to life in June 2015, courtesy of Title IV of the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the JOBS Act) and SEC rulemaking,  are (or should be) all… Read More

May 30, 2018 @ 10:43 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Market Authority (FMA) in Austria is seeking to shut down cryptocurrency miner INVIA GmbH based in Vienna. According to a note published on the FMA site, the regulator has prohibited the business model of the company on the grounds of “the suspicion of… Read More