The last two weeks have seen federal agencies continue refining their approach to the digital asset industry, while state regulators are beginning to play a more prominent role—even as the overall pace of development appears...more
4/25/2025
/ Capital Markets ,
Coinbase ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Securities Violations
Three of the SEC’s key enforcement actions—all extensively covered in BitBlog and widely seen as emblematic of the agency’s adversarial stance toward the industry—are reportedly being halted or dismissed. The SEC has agreed...more
2/27/2025
/ Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Civil Monetary Penalty ,
Coinbase ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cybersecurity ,
Digital Assets ,
Dismissals ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FinTech ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
It’s fitting that our second October Web3 legal update arrives on Halloween, as many in the industry might find the current legal landscape for digital asset products and services quite spooky. While the past few weeks have...more
11/1/2024
/ Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Coinbase ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Ethereum ,
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) ,
FOIA ,
Internet ,
Metaverse ,
SEC Examination Priorities ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation
The SEC has been busy, both in bringing actions against digital industry participants and in defending against affirmative lawsuits brought against the agency regarding the lack of notice and rulemaking for digital assets...more
10/17/2024
/ Administrative Procedure Act ,
Bitcoin ,
Coinbase ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Markets ,
Investment Opportunities ,
Regulatory Violations ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Stablecoins
As the end of summer approaches, litigation in the digital asset industry has remained hot. In the SEC’s cases against various exchanges, ongoing discovery fights are starting to play out in court filings, and one can expect...more
8/15/2024
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Coinbase ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FinTech ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Ripple ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Token Sales
Our last update included a whirlwind of activities, with the surprisingly bipartisan House of Representatives vote on FIT 21 and the SEC’s approval of certain Ether spot ETF rule change proposals coming in quick succession....more
6/13/2024
/ Blockchain ,
Class Action ,
Coinbase ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
EFTs ,
Financial Markets ,
Investment ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Presidential Veto ,
Private Funds ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Securities Regulation ,
Token Sales
The biggest legal news of the past two weeks was the Coinbase loss on two of three categories of claims at the Judgment on the Pleadings stage of litigation against the SEC. While it is rare to win at such an early stage in...more
4/15/2024
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Coinbase ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Investment ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud
It was a busy two weeks in Web3 law, as Binance lost in an appeal that could have wide-ranging jurisdictional implications outside of just digital assets. Coinbase also went on the offensive against the SEC in appealing the...more
3/29/2024
/ Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Coinbase ,
Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) ,
Copyright Office ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Jurisdiction ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
USPTO
The Blockchain Bi-Weekly presented by the Polsinelli Blockchain+ team is a rundown of some of the key stories in the Web3, blockchain and crypto ecosystems curated by our attorneys navigating the intersections of code, smart...more
1/26/2024
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Coinbase ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) ,
ETFs ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Smart Contracts ,
Special Purpose Acquisition Companies (SPACs)
The Blockchain Bi-Weekly presented by the Polsinelli Blockchain+ team is a rundown of some of the key stories in the Web3, blockchain and crypto ecosystems curated by our attorneys navigating the intersections of code, smart...more
11/2/2023
/ Blockchain ,
Coinbase ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FinTech ,
Regulatory Requirements ,
Ripple ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations ,
Smart Contracts
The Blockchain Bi-Weekly presented by the Polsinelli Blockchain+ team is a rundown of some of the key stories in the Web3, blockchain and crypto ecosystems curated by our attorneys navigating the intersections of code, smart...more
10/19/2023
/ Blockchain ,
Coinbase ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Fraud ,
Financial Markets ,
Financial Transactions ,
Ripple ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
The Blockchain Bi-Weekly presented by the Polsinelli Blockchain+ team is a rundown of some of the key stories in the Web3, blockchain and crypto ecosystems curated by our attorneys navigating the intersections of code, smart...more
9/8/2023
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Coinbase ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Exchange-Traded Products ,
Financial Services Industry ,
First Amendment ,
Fourth Amendment ,
IRS ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Pump and Dump ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Securities Violations ,
Smart Contracts ,
Tax Liability ,
Unregistered Securities
The Blockchain Bi-Weekly presented by the Polsinelli Blockchain+ team is a rundown of some of the key stories in the Web3, blockchain and crypto ecosystems curated by our attorneys navigating the intersections of code, smart...more
8/24/2023
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
Coinbase ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
FinTech ,
Investment ,
PayPal ,
Ripple ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stablecoins ,
Token Sales ,
Virtual Currency
The Blockchain Bi-Weekly presented by the Polsinelli Blockchain+ team is a rundown of some of the key stories in the Web3, blockchain and crypto ecosystems curated by our attorneys navigating the intersections of code, smart...more
8/10/2023
/ Blockchain ,
Coinbase ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Institutions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Securities Violations ,
Smart Contracts ,
Stablecoins
The Blockchain Bi-Weekly presented by the Polsinelli Blockchain+ team is a rundown of some of the key stories in the Web3, blockchain and crypto ecosystems curated by our attorneys navigating the intersections of code, smart...more
6/30/2023
/ Blockchain ,
Coinbase ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) ,
Financial Instruments ,
Financial Markets ,
Initial Coin Offering (ICOs) ,
New Legislation ,
Popular ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Token Sales ,
Virtual Currency
Highlights of the Last Two Weeks in Blockchain+
The Blockchain Bi-Weekly presented by the Polsinelli Blockchain+ team is a rundown of some of the key stories in the Web3, blockchain and crypto ecosystems curated by our...more
In July of 2022, the United States Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) each alleged insider trading violations against a former Coinbase employee Ishan Wahi (“Ishan”), his brother...more
2/14/2023
/ Coinbase ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Insider Trading ,
Investment Contract ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Violations
On July 21, 2022, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) each alleged insider trading violations against a former Coinbase employee, his brother, and another alleged acquaintance...more
8/5/2022
/ Coinbase ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Criminal Investigations ,
Criminal Prosecution ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Insider Trading ,
Investment ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud ,
Securities Violations ,
Wire Fraud