Below is a summary of some of the significant legal and regulatory actions that occurred over the past week. This alert is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all such developments, but rather a selection of publicly-reported news that may be of particular interest.

U.S. Developments
Delaware – Corporate Use of Distributed Ledgers and Smart Contracts
Governor Jack Markell announced the Delaware Blockchain Initiative, which is a suite of programs to expand the use and development of distributed-ledger and smart contract technologies to include use by corporations. Gov. Markell said, “[b]y creating the opportunity for a broad range of corporations – from Fortune 500 companies to startups – to take advantage of distributed ledger and smart contraction applications, we are laying the groundwork for a more modern, secure, and transparent business environment for years to come.” Gov. Markell will elaborate on the details in his opening keynote at Consensus 2016 on May 2nd.

https://www.finextra.com/pressarticle/63838/state-of-delaware-unveils-blockchain-initiative/vcurrency

International Developments
Australia – Requests Global Standards for Blockchain Technologies
Australia’s standards authority, Standards Australia, has submitted a proposal to the International Standards Organisation (ISO) requesting global standards for blockchain technologies.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/markets/australia-pushes-iso-for-blockchain-standards/news-story/514516e87f4ff244a8e81e41f6fe7ef0