News
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What’s Next for Crypto: SEC Examination Priorities in 2025
Read More: What’s Next for Crypto: SEC Examination Priorities in 2025In the SEC’s latest report detailing the Examination Priorities for 2025, the Commission has reinforced its gameplan to keep a close eye on the crypto industry. As the market for digital assets continues to grow in both size and complexity—particularly with the introduction of Bitcoin ETFs and similar ETH products—the SEC’s Division of Examinations is…
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A New Frontier for Crypto: Court Authorizes Service of Process Through NFT Airdrop
Read More: A New Frontier for Crypto: Court Authorizes Service of Process Through NFT AirdropIn a landmark decision highlighting the unique aspects of blockchain technology and crypto, an S.D.N.Y. Bankruptcy Judge ruled in favor of Celsius’s motion for alternative service, whereby Celsius sought to provide legal service by airdopping non-fungible tokens (NFTs) to anonymous defendants’ digital asset wallets. In the wake of the cryptocurrency exchange’s insolvency, its bankruptcy estate…
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FTX Targets Binance and CZ with $1.8 Billion Clawback
Read More: FTX Targets Binance and CZ with $1.8 Billion ClawbackCrypto mogul Changpeng Zhao—notoriously known as “CZ”—may be out of prison, but he’s not out of hot water yet. The bankruptcy estate of former-leviathan FTX has filed suit against Binance and its ex-CEO, CZ, seeking to recoup nearly $1.8 billion in allegedly fraudulent transfers. In a court filing out of Delaware, FTX called attention to…
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SEC Crypto Litigation Releases – October 2024
Read More: SEC Crypto Litigation Releases – October 2024SEC Charges So-Called Market Maker and Two Employees in Crackdown on Manipulation of Crypto Assets Offered and Sold as Securities https://www.sec.gov/enforcement-litigation/litigation-releases/lr-26158 In a sting operation emblematic of a John Grisham novel, the SEC charged ZM Quant Investment Ltd.—a British Virgin Islands entity—with manipulating markets and offering unregistered securities. Acting as a self-proclaimed market maker, ZM…
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Transparent Illusion: The Discrepancy in Polymarket’s Volume
Read More: Transparent Illusion: The Discrepancy in Polymarket’s VolumeThe recent surge in prediction markets has coincided with the upcoming presidential election, as those seeking a supplement to traditional polling look to new methodologies. As election day draws closer, established prediction markets have seen their volumes skyrocket, while fresh players are jumping in to launch their own platforms. This sudden influx of companies offering…
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SEC Issues Wells Notice to Uniswap
Read More: SEC Issues Wells Notice to UniswapOn Wednesday, April 10, the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a Wells Notice to Uniswap Labs (Uniswap), the creator of the world’s largest decentralized cryptocurrency exchange. Before digging into why the SEC issued a Wells Notice to the U.S.-based software company, it’s important to understand what a Wells Notice is. What is a Wells Notice?…
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CFTC Sues KuCoin
Read More: CFTC Sues KuCoinINTRODUCTION On March 26, 2024, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), brought a civil enforcement action in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against the group of entities it argues collectively operate as the centralized digital asset exchange KuCoin. The CFTC claims that KuCoin violated the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA)…
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Crypto Exchange Sues SEC
Read More: Crypto Exchange Sues SECThe Securities Exchange Commission (“SEC”) is under fire again, this time in Texas. On February 21, emerging Texas-based cryptocurrency exchange LEJILEX and the Crypto Freedom Alliance of Texas (“CFAT”), an industry advocacy group, filed a complaint against the SEC. In their complaint, LEJILEX and CFAT allege that the SEC’s assertion of regulatory authority over nearly…
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Van Eck and the Significance of Transparency
Read More: Van Eck and the Significance of TransparencyA recent settlement between Van Eck Associates Corporation (Van Eck) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) once again underscores the Commission’s focus on transparency in the securities markets. Van Eck agreed to pay a $1.75 million civil penalty to settle charges that it failed to disclose a social media influencer’s role in the promotion…
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Evolution of FinCEN’s Crypto Guidance
Read More: Evolution of FinCEN’s Crypto GuidanceTable of Contents Introduction to FinCEN and The BSA If you’re a U.S. business dealing with cryptocurrencies on a frequent basis, you’re most likely familiar with the legal concepts “money transmitter” and “money service business” (MSB). If not, you’re potentially opening yourself up to a world of hurt by failing to comply with federal and…