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 SEC Obtains Judgment Against Bitcoin Mining Companies … Continue Reading
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 Regulatory Updates Vermont Law Recognizes Digital Currency … Continue Reading
On April 18 the governor of Washington signed into law amendments proposed by the Washington Department of Financial Institutions (“DFI”) in December of last year, to the state’s Uniform Money Services Act, including provisions specific to digital currency. The changes take effect on July 23, 2017. Aligning with Washington’s Interim Regulatory Guidance on Virtual Currency … Continue Reading
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 Regulatory Updates Washington State Legislators Prepare Bill … Continue Reading
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.… Continue Reading
The Securities and Exchange Commission announced today that it would deny a proposed rule change that would have permitted the first exchange traded fund to track digital currency. If granted it would have permitted the Bats BZX Exchange, Inc. (“Exchange”) to list and trade shares issued by the Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust on the Exchange. The SEC … Continue Reading
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.… Continue Reading
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 California and New York Take Divergent Approaches … Continue Reading
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 Arizona Bill Seeks to Recognize Validity of … Continue Reading
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 The Saga of Coinbase and its IRS … Continue Reading
On December 28, 2016, the New York State Department of Financial Services (NYDFS) issued a revised proposed cybersecurity regulation, Cybersecurity Requirements for Financial Services Companies. The revised proposed regulation reflects several substantive changes made in response to over 150 public comments received by NYDFS in response to the original proposed regulation published this past September. … Continue Reading
The Washington Department of Financial Institutions (“DFI”) introduced a bill last month amending portions of the Washington Uniform Money Services Act (“UMSA”). The proposal includes provisions specific to digital currencies, providing clarity to an industry struggling to muddle its way through unclear and disparate regulations across 50 states. Washington has been a leader in providing … Continue Reading
The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (“OCC”) announced today that it plans to move forward with considering applications from financial technology (fintech) companies to become special purpose national banks. OCC Press Release from Dec. 2, 2016. The OCC has concluded, among other things, that “applying a bank regulatory framework to fintech companies will … Continue Reading
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 OCC Moves Forward with Plans to Develop … Continue Reading
Banks are exploring using blockchain to increase the efficiency of trading syndicated loans. The hope is to increase the liquidity and transparency of the secondary market for loans. The risk is that their efforts will be so successful that the loans may lose their historical exemption from the registration and anti-fraud provisions of the Securities … Continue Reading
On October 12, 2016 the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) issued an order instituting proceedings to determine whether or not to approve or disapprove a proposed rule change filed by Bats BZX Exchange, Inc. (“Exchange”) that would permit Winklevoss Bitcoin Shares (“Shares”) issued by the Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust (“Trust”) to be listed and traded on … Continue Reading
Below is a summary of some of the significant legal, regulatory and industry 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 Regulatory Developments CFPB Declines to Make … Continue Reading
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 OCC Proposes Rollout of a Limited-Purpose FinTech … Continue Reading
U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan of the Southern District of New York issued a decision yesterday finding that bitcoins are money under the plain meaning of Section 1960, the federal money transmission statute. In July 2015, Anthony Murgio and two others defendants were arrested and charged with operating an illegal bitcoin exchange – Coin.mx. Murgio … Continue Reading
Last week, California legislators introduced an amended AB 1326, which substantially changed California’s proposed bill addressing procedures and regulations of digital currency businesses. After a second reading in the California Senate, this bill has been re-referred to the Committee on Banking and Financial Institutions for additional comment. See California Legislative Status on AB-1326. Industry leaders, … Continue Reading
This week, at the tail-end of the legislative session, California legislators have introduced a bill (amended from a bill originally introduced in April 2015) that statutorily addresses the increasingly topical question of how to regulate the emerging crypto-currency market. The amendment, introduced on August 8, 2016, is a vast departure from the earlier iterations of … Continue Reading
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 Bitcoin Investment Trust and SecondMarket, Inc. Settle … Continue Reading
The SEC announced yesterday a settlement with Bitcoin Investment Trust (BIT) and SecondMarket, Inc. (SecondMarket). According to the Administrative Order, the SEC claims that BIT and SecondMarket redeemed BIT shares during an ongoing distribution and, therefore, violated Rules 101 and 102 of Regulation M.… Continue Reading
The Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) recently published its Annual Report, providing insight into its perspective on market developments and emerging threats. The FSOC, which includes representatives from the Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission, recognized that distributed ledger systems offer opportunities to lower transaction … Continue Reading
