CryptoLink is a compilation of news stories published by outside organizations. Akin aggregates the stories, but the information contained in them does not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of the firm. Akin's...more
On February 25, 2025, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) released an enforcement advisory regarding the impact of self-reporting, cooperation and remediation in enforcement cases (the “Enforcement...more
Both the CFTC and SEC have new Acting Chairs, who are known to be crypto advocates, with Mark Uyeda being appointed Acting Chair of the SEC, taking over from Gary Gensler, while Caroline D. Pham has assumed the role of Acting...more
2/12/2025
/ Administrative Appointments ,
Bitcoin ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Regulatory Reform ,
Regulatory Agencies ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Trump Administration
UPDATE: President Signs Executive Order Directing DOJ to Pause All FCPA Enforcement for 180 Days - On February 10, 2025, President Trump issued an Executive Order directing the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to pause all...more
CryptoLink is a compilation of news stories published by outside organizations. Akin aggregates the stories, but the information contained in them does not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of the firm. Akin's...more
1/14/2025
/ Artificial Intelligence ,
Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Financial Services Industry ,
FinCEN ,
FinTech ,
Fraud ,
Investment ,
NVIDIA ,
Regulation S-K ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Russia ,
SCOTUS ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Stablecoins ,
UK
CryptoLink is a compilation of news stories published by outside organizations. Akin aggregates the stories, but the information contained in them does not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of the firm. Akin's...more
12/19/2024
/ Bitcoin ,
Blockchain ,
CFTC ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Cyber Crimes ,
Due Diligence ,
Enforcement ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) ,
International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) ,
Investment ,
Misleading Statements ,
Money Laundering ,
New Legislation ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Phishing Scams ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Sanctions ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sentencing ,
Smart Contracts ,
Tokenization ,
UK
CryptoLink is a compilation of news stories published by outside organizations. Akin aggregates the stories, but the information contained in them does not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of the firm. Akin's...more
10/22/2024
/ Appeals ,
Bitcoin ,
Brokers ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Decentralized Finance (DeFi) ,
Digital Assets ,
Elder Abuse ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Fraud ,
OECD ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
UK
The Senate has yet to take action on the 21st Century Act (FIT21) (H.R.4763) which passed the House by a comfortable margin of 279-136 on May 22, 2024. FIT21 is a proposed landmark piece of legislation that would enact a...more
9/13/2024
/ Bitcoin ,
CFTC ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Fraud ,
Investment Fraud ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Proposed Regulation ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
South Korea ,
Unfair Trade Practices Act ,
United Arab Emirates (UAE) ,
Whistleblowers
Judge Engelmayer’s 107-page dismissal of most of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s claims against SolarWinds provides valuable guidance, and some comfort, for public companies and Chief Information Security...more
8/19/2024
/ Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) ,
Corporate Counsel ,
Cyber Attacks ,
Cybersecurity ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Fraud ,
Internal Controls ,
Misrepresentation ,
Negligence ,
Ransomware ,
Scienter ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Exchange Act ,
SolarWinds
CryptoLink is a compilation of news stories published by outside organizations. Akin aggregates the stories, but the information contained in them does not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of the firm. Akin's...more
8/16/2024
/ Bitcoin ,
Bitcoin Mining ,
CFTC ,
Criminal Conspiracy ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Disgorgement ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
Fraud ,
Individual Retirement Account (IRA) ,
Penalties ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Settlement ,
UK
CryptoLink is a compilation of news stories published by outside organizations. Akin aggregates the stories, but the information contained in them does not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of the firm. Akin's...more
7/25/2024
/ Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement ,
FDIC ,
Fraud ,
Investment ,
IRS ,
Jurisdiction ,
New Legislation ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Reporting Requirements ,
Risk Assessment ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
U.S. Treasury
On June 26, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court held 6-3 in Snyder v. United States that a federal statute, 18 U.S.C. § 666(a)(1)(B), does not criminalize “gratuities” to state and local officials—i.e., payments made to those...more
CryptoLink is a compilation of news stories published by outside organizations. Akin aggregates the stories, but the information contained in them does not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of the firm. Akin's May...more
6/13/2024
/ Bank Secrecy Act ,
Blockchain ,
Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDCs) ,
CFTC ,
Crypto Exchanges ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Enforcement ,
Ethereum ,
Money Laundering ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Wells Notice ,
Wire Fraud
The big news in crypto policy came out of the Senate this month. On April 17, Senators Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) partnered once again in the digital asset space, this time introducing the...more
On Friday, April 5, 2024, a San Francisco jury found the defendant liable in SEC v. Panuwat, the closely watched litigated enforcement action brought by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) relating to so-called...more
On April 3, 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced its first enforcement action against a registered investment adviser (RIA) with no ties to a broker-dealer regarding so-called “off-channel”...more
4/10/2024
/ Broker-Dealer ,
Electronic Communications ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Fund Managers ,
Investigations ,
Investment Adviser ,
Investment Management ,
Recordkeeping Requirements ,
Registered Investment Advisors ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Regulation ,
Securities Violations
In the House, lawmakers continue to make progress on the Clarity for Stablecoins Act (H.R. 4766). On March 19, at a press event hosted by Punchbowl News on the policy landscape for digital payments, outgoing House Financial...more
4/9/2024
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
CFTC ,
Coinbase ,
Copyright Office ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
DIFC ,
FDIC ,
Fines ,
Fraud ,
Ponzi Scheme ,
RICO ,
Sanctions ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Sentencing ,
Stablecoins ,
USPTO
Key Points - In a thorough decision, a federal district judge in New York largely denied Coinbase’s motion for judgment on the pleadings in a case brought by the SEC. Applying the plaintiff-friendly standards required at the...more
Last month, the United Kingdom Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) announced that it is considering new procedures under which it would publicly identify firms that are under investigation as soon as the investigation has been...more
4/1/2024
/ Cross-Border ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Disclosure Requirements ,
Enforcement ,
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) ,
FSMA ,
Investigations ,
Notice Requirements ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
UK ,
Willful Misconduct
CryptoLink is a compilation of news stories published by outside organizations. Akin aggregates the stories, but the information contained in them does not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of the firm. Akin's...more
3/20/2024
/ Banking Regulators ,
Bitcoin ,
CFTC ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Digital Assets ,
Digital Currency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
ETFs ,
Financial Services Industry ,
Fraud ,
Investors ,
Legislative Agendas ,
OECD ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Pyramid Schemes ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Litigation ,
Stablecoins ,
Tokenization ,
Wire Fraud
Congress continues to plug along on crypto policy. The Senate’s attention – on a bipartisan basis – has been focused on extending Anti-Money Laundering (AML) regulatory authority to the digital assets space. This continues to...more
2/21/2024
/ AML/CFT ,
Bitcoin ,
CFTC ,
Chapter 11 ,
Coinbase ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
European Banking Authority (EBA) ,
Exchange-Traded Products ,
Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Fraud
Key Points - Last week, the SEC announced settlements with 16 broker-dealers, dually registered broker-dealers and investment advisers, and affiliated investment advisers in connection with their failures to maintain and...more
On the one hand, the year ended where it began. The legislation on stabelecoins and market structure that would provide a regulatory framework for digital assets has still not been enacted into law. And Securities and...more
1/19/2024
/ Anti-Money Laundering ,
Bitcoin ,
CFTC ,
Class Action ,
Coinbase ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Enforcement Actions ,
ETFs ,
Fraud ,
Money Transmitter ,
Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) ,
Ponzi Scheme ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Tokens ,
Summary Judgment ,
Terrorism Funding ,
U.S. Treasury ,
Virtual Currency
Key Points - In SEC v. Terraform, the court has granted summary judgment for the SEC on its claim that the defendants offered and sold unregistered securities in the form of “crypto assets.” This comes amidst the SEC...more
1/15/2024
/ Bitcoin ,
Cryptoassets ,
Cryptocurrency ,
Department of Justice (DOJ) ,
Howey ,
Ripple ,
Securities Act of 1933 ,
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) ,
Securities Tokens ,
Security-Based Swaps ,
Stablecoins ,
Summary Judgment