Politics, Legal & Regulation

December 21, 2017 @ 11:45 pm By Erin Hobey  |  

“We are asking everyone in our community to take responsibility for their part. We ask all of our filmmakers to make a public facing statement about how their project is increasing inclusion in entertainment. We make it very clear to our audiences that what we… Read More

December 20, 2017 @ 2:32 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has released a statement on Brexit and the implications on financial services firms. The UK has already seen an undetermined number of departures in financial services but Reuters published several months back a survey that indicated 10,000 UK finance jobs… Read More

December 19, 2017 @ 8:11 am By JD Alois  |  

The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) has published an investor warning today telling the public to proceed with “extreme caution” when they invest in cryptocurrencies. The statement by MAS comes as the price of Bitcoin has gone hyperbolic nearing $20,000 per BTC. At the beginning… Read More

December 18, 2017 @ 2:23 pm By Joshua Ashley Klayman & Jay G. Baris  |  

  This article is written by the authors solely in their personal capacities, and the views expressed are the authors’ own and do not necessarily reflect the views of their employer or any other person.  This article does not constitute, and should not be relied… Read More

December 15, 2017 @ 5:16 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts has published a grouping proposed regulatory changes several of which will impact federal crowdfunding exemptions, including notice filings for Reg A+ and Reg CF. The proposed changes, posted today, are open for public comment until January 19, 2018…. Read More

December 15, 2017 @ 2:51 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has created a “virtual currency resource page” addressing Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as part of a dedicated section of the CFTC web site. The CFTC stated that Bitcoin and other virtual currencies have been determined to be commodities under the… Read More

December 15, 2017 @ 12:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has announced a Proposed Interpretation regarding its authority over retail commodity transactions involving cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin. The Proposed Interpretation sets out the CFTC’s view regarding the “actual delivery” exception that may apply to virtual currency transactions. The CFTC… Read More

December 15, 2017 @ 12:00 pm By Barry James  |  

Appearing on the BBC’s news flagship Newsnight the head of the UK’s regulator, the  FCA’s  Andrew Bailey, has drawn mainstream attention to Bitcoin and the world of cryptocurrencies while admitting that they have yet to understand what he called an ‘odd commodity’. While  the BBC’s… Read More

December 15, 2017 @ 10:15 am By JD Alois  |  

Initial Coin Offerings are fat targets for attorneys representing disgruntled investors. Tezos is the most prominent example of an ICO gone bad due to the very public internal infighting, the fact that creators attempted to describe investments as donations and the hundreds of millions of… Read More

December 15, 2017 @ 8:00 am By JD Alois  |  

Buried within the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Distributed Ledger Technology (IE Blockchain) Feedback Statement on an earlier discussion paper was a section dedicated to Initial Coin Offerings (ICO) and regulatory requirements. The FCA, like much of the rest of the world, is seeking to enable… Read More

December 15, 2017 @ 7:44 am By JD Alois  |  

The UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has published a feedback statement on distributed ledger technology (DLT) or Blockchain.  The document comes following an earlier discussion paper published in April designed to commence a dialogue between interested parties and the regulator. The FCA has now responded to received… Read More

December 13, 2017 @ 1:31 pm By JD Alois  |  

Australia has endured an interesting odyssey when it comes to equity crowdfunding legislation or crowd-sourced equity funding, as it is sometimes called. According to a report in InnovationAUS, the Aussie government failed to act on promised fixes that would allow private companies to gain eligibility…. Read More

December 13, 2017 @ 1:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

This is interesting. The UK Department for International Trade has shared a statement on the UK and US Trade and Investment Working Group. According to public officials, “the UK and US will work together to prepare the ground for a future [Free Trade Agreement] once the… Read More

December 12, 2017 @ 6:20 pm By JD Alois  |  

Shmuel Hauser, the Chairman of the Israel Securities Authority, published a statement today addressing Fintech, Bitcoin and Initial Coin Offerings, in an extended comment on regulations and the changing financial landscape. Hauser stated; “From a regulator perspective, we want make sure that Fintech will not… Read More

December 11, 2017 @ 10:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC) had previously committed to review its regulatory sandbox and Fintech licensing exemption and upon review, officials have proposed to maintain the current status. The regulatory Fintech sandbox was introduced in December 2016 and enables eligible firms to test… Read More

December 11, 2017 @ 9:02 pm By JD Alois  |  

In the wake of the SEC’s most recent enforcement action regarding an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) that failed to file for a securities exemption while the issuer, Munchee, clearly promoted the ability for token purchasers to seek an investment return on a “utility” token, SEC… Read More

December 11, 2017 @ 4:52 pm By JD Alois  |  

Today, the Securities and Exchange Division announced it had halted an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) as an unregulated securities offering. Munchee, a food review App based on Blockchain, agreed to refund all investors without accepting nor denying the allegation. The ICO was seeking $15 million… Read More

December 11, 2017 @ 3:53 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has shut down an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) as conducting an unregistered securities offering. This is the first time the SEC has has halted an ICO where there were no allegations of fraud representing a new shift in approach… Read More

December 10, 2017 @ 11:23 am By JD Alois  |  

This past week saw a bit of reversal in South Korea’s stance on Initial Coin Offerings (ICO). In September, it was reported that Korea had decided to totally ban ICOs following a similar approach by China. But during a presentation at the National Assembly by… Read More

December 8, 2017 @ 8:01 am By JD Alois  |  

FinTech Australia, the advocacy group for Australia’s burgeoning Fintech industry, has given its seal of approval following the Australian Parliament’s passage of Anti-Money Laundering (AML) legislation.  According to Fintech leaders, the governmental approach regarding cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, will position Australia as a world leader… Read More