Tagged: stephanie avakian

December 22, 2020 @ 3:56 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has publicly posted the complaint charging Ripple with the sale of an unregistered security. Including in the enforcement action are Christian Larsen, the company’s co-founder, executive chairman of its board, and former CEO; and Bradley Garlinghouse, the company’s current… Read More

October 11, 2019 @ 5:33 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed an emergency action and obtained a temporary restraining order against Telegram. The SEC targeted two offshore entities conducting an alleged unregistered, ongoing digital token offering in the U.S. and overseas that has raised more than $1.7 billion… Read More

January 15, 2019 @ 12:04 pm By JD Alois  |  

Even while much of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is on furlough due to the US government shutdown, today the SEC announced charges against nine defendants for participating a hack into the SEC’s EDGAR system – the database that hosts all mandated securities filings…. Read More

November 29, 2018 @ 6:46 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has settled charges against two high-profile initial coin offering (ICO) promoters.  Music producer DJ Khaled and boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. were cited for failing to disclose they were remunerated for promoting ICOs via their social media channels. The SEC… Read More

September 30, 2018 @ 11:22 am By JD Alois  |  

“…when companies and corporate insiders make statements, they must act responsibly, including endeavoring to ensure the statements are not false or misleading and do not omit information a reasonable investor would consider important in making an investment decision.” – Jay Clayton, Chairman of the SEC… Read More

September 21, 2018 @ 9:49 am By JD Alois  |  

In a speech delivered this week, Stephanie Avakian, Co-Director of the Division of Enforcement at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), discussed their approach to dealing with the avalanche of initial coin offerings (ICOs) and digital assets in general. Avakian said that as of the Q2… Read More

May 25, 2018 @ 3:42 pm By JD Alois  |  

Last week, while New York City saw thousands of cryptocurrency enthusiasts discuss the benefits of digital assets and blockchain, a House Financial Services subcommittee reviewed initial coin offerings with the leaders of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Enforcement Division. The Congressional Hearing provided a… Read More

March 19, 2018 @ 11:15 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) first launched investigations into initial coin offerings (ICOs) and the gatekeepers that have been facilitating these offerings several months back. The news of these investigations was first published by Crowdfund Insider in late February. Chatter regarding investigations had been building… Read More

January 19, 2018 @ 9:09 am By JD Alois  |  

Following the announcement by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) that it had undertaken two enforcement actions against Bitcoin / virtual currency related fraud, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and CFTC issued a joint statement from SEC co-enforcement Directors Stephanie Avakian and Steven Peikin… 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

July 25, 2017 @ 5:08 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued an investigative report today that may chill the booming Initial Coin Offering (ICO) market that has experienced hockey stick like growth in recent months.  The SEC cautioned market participants that sales of digital assets by “virtual” organizations are… Read More

June 9, 2017 @ 9:56 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced that Acting Director of the Division of Enforcement Stephanie Avakian and former federal prosecutor Steven Peikin have been named Co-Directors of the Division of Enforcement. The SEC’s Division of Enforcement is the agency’s largest unit with more… Read More

April 10, 2017 @ 1:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has initiated enforcement actions against 27 individuals and entities behind promotional articles that did not disclose they were paid analysis cloaked as independent research. The SEC said investors were duped into believing they were reading unbiased articles when in… Read More