Tagged: sec

December 2, 2017 @ 2:41 pm By JD Alois  |  

This past week, Blockchain at Berkeley was the host to an ICO Financing Conference. Participating at the event were representatives from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Blockchain at Berkeley is a student run, independent organization dedicated to the crypto and distributed ledger space. The… Read More

November 30, 2017 @ 12:38 pm By JD Alois  |  

Speaking at the annual SEC Forum on Small Business Capital Formation, William Hinman, Director of Division of Corporation Finance at the SEC, said there are more enforcement actions coming when it comes to Initial Coin Offerings (ICO). Hinman, a former Silicon Valley based corporate attorney, did… Read More

November 28, 2017 @ 9:08 am By Anthony Zeoli  |  

If you’ve been under a rock for the last year or so, you might not know that “initial coin offerings” or ICOs are the hottest thing in the financial market today. As if the fact that the overwhelming majority of ICOs aren’t regulated in any… Read More

November 27, 2017 @ 8:47 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission has messaged strongly their intent to enforce the need for Initial Coin Offerings to file for the appropriate exemption.  Yes. there is the ongoing debate as to when a digital token becomes a security but fairly recently Securities and Exchange… Read More

November 20, 2017 @ 2:00 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has scheduled a meeting of the Investor Advisory Committee (IAC) for December 7th. The creation of the IAC was mandated by Dodd-Frank to advise the Commission on regulatory priorities for individual investors. In the past, the focus by the Committee… Read More

November 16, 2017 @ 8:05 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has posted the agenda and panelists for the 36th annual Government Business Forum on Small Business Capital Formation. The annual gathering has been held at the SEC HQ in Washington, DC in past years but this event will be… Read More

November 16, 2017 @ 7:36 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission has posted a complaint, filed in September, against Miami-based Pedro Fort Berbel and his company Fort Marketing Group. The SEC says that Berbel and his company operated  a Ponzi scheme that used a fraudulent internet advertising scam under such names… Read More

November 13, 2017 @ 3:00 pm By Amy Wan  |  

On Friday, November 10, 2017, StartEngine, a Regulation Crowdfunding platform based in Los Angeles, California organized ICO 2.0 Summit, the first regulated ICO conference – or at least the first that I’ve seen. While there seem to be an explosion of ICO and Blockchain-related conferences… Read More

November 12, 2017 @ 3:00 pm By Samuel Guzik  |  

Man Proposes and God Disposes On November 8, at an Annual  New York City gathering of securities professionals, SEC Chair Jay Clayton went off script – and in doing so provided what is likely to be the clearest guidance we can expect to receive from… Read More

November 6, 2017 @ 12:17 pm By Samuel Guzik  |  

As a securities lawyer and a sometimes advocate for smart regulation of capital formation, I must confess: When it comes to addressing the current state of the Initial Coin Offering (ICO) marketplace, I believe that market participants face a crisis of growing proportions. No Hype… Read More

November 4, 2017 @ 7:16 pm By JD Alois  |  

Crowdfund Insider reported last month about the RECoin Initial Coin Offering (ICO) that promised tokens backed by real estate that did not really exist. Maksim Zaslavskiy, the alleged mastermind behind a fraud launched from a series of companies including RECoin Group Foundation, DRC World and Diamond… Read More

November 1, 2017 @ 4:27 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is out with a note, and an investor alert, warning celebrities against the “unlawful” promotion of Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) and other investment opportunities. The SEC is referencing the multiple, prominent endorsements of ICOs by high profile celebrities such… Read More

October 26, 2017 @ 11:10 pm By JD Alois  |  

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) pumped their regulatory brakes on Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) earlier this year. Pointing to the DAO debacle, the Feds said if a tokenized offering is a security it will be regulated, end of story. This  statement was a long… Read More

October 26, 2017 @ 6:45 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Co-Director of the SEC Division of Enforcement, Stephanie Avakian, gave a speech today tackling the topic of retail investor protection and cybersecurity. Both issues have always been important missions at the SEC but recent cyber intrusions at the Commission (and elsewhere, unfortunately) have brought… Read More

October 4, 2017 @ 9:01 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission has filed its final judgement against Homero Joshua Garza and his two Bitcoin mining companies GAW Miners and ZenMiner. Garza is liable for $9.182 million for restitution and pre-judgement interest of $742,774. This ends the litigation against Garza with his… Read More

October 4, 2017 @ 12:40 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Jay Clayton, visited with the House Financial Services Committee today. In his prepared remarks and along with subsequent questioning, Clayton aptly defended the importance of capital formation and the need to have a robust Initial Public Offering… Read More

October 3, 2017 @ 10:04 am By JD Alois  |  

SEC Chairman Jay Clayton is scheduled to visit with the House Financial Services Committee tomorrow (October 4) beginning at 10AM ET. Clayton already testified before the Senate Banking Committee a few days back. The hearing is entitled “Examining the SEC’s Agenda, Operations, and Budget.” The… Read More

October 2, 2017 @ 11:45 am By JD Alois  |  

SEC Chairman Jay Clayton has provided an updated on the intrusion into EDGAR that occurred back in 2016. Additionally, the SEC Chair said the Commission would be strengthening its defenses agains future attempts to hack the SECs systems. The investigation has now determined that an… Read More

September 30, 2017 @ 8:24 am By JD Alois  |  

The Enforcement Division of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has shut down an Initial Coin Offering (ICO) that claimed to allow investors to participate in an offer backed by diamonds and real estate. The SEC has charged REcoin Group Foundation, DRC World, Diamond Reserve Club, and Maksim… Read More

September 29, 2017 @ 5:16 pm By JD Alois  |  

NYSE Arca has withdrawn the application that was pending before the Securities and Exchange Commission seeking approval to list shares of the Bitcoin Investment Trust. Grayscale Investments, LLC, is the sponsor of the Trust that currently trades on OTC Markets (OTCQX:GBTC). Grayscale said that earlier this… Read More