A Conversation with SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce
El Salvador’s Bitcoin Nation: A Government Insider’s View
Exploring the AI and Crypto Intersection
A Tale of Two Crypto Cases
The Justice Insiders Podcast: The Sam Bankman-Fried Trial: Defendants Testifying (Poorly), FOMO, and How to Actually Blame Lawyers
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: Exploring DAOs
Turning up the Heat – A Look at the FTC’s Groundbreaking Fine Against Bankrupt Digital Asset Services Provider Celsius Network LLC - The Crypto Exchange Podcast
Crypto Year in Review 2022: State-Level Regulatory Developments in the Digital Asset Market - The Crypto Exchange Podcast
Episode 256: The FTX Scandal and Cryptocurrency Risks: Featuring Matt Stankiewicz from The Volkov Law Group
Bankruptcy Filings Among Crypto Exchanges: Is This a Sign of the Future? - The Crypto Exchange Podcast
Navigating the Impact of Counterparty Insolvency and Negative Market Conditions in the Crypto Space
Whose Crypto Is It Anyway? Bankruptcy and Crypto - The Crypto Exchange Podcast
Part 2: Additional Implications for Cryptocurrency Companies in Bankruptcy
Crypto Enforcement Is Here, and Always Has Been
Crypto and DeFi Platforms: Aggressive SEC Enforcement on the Way?
After a relatively quiet October for Web3 legal developments, November has kicked off with significant activity, primarily centered around ongoing lawsuits and regulatory enforcement actions. In addition to these legal...more
Although the excitement for non-fungible tokens (NFTs) may have faded since its peak in 2022, the world’s largest NFT marketplace, OpenSea, has new and unwanted attention from the SEC. In addition to a potential enforcement...more
Crypto Payments Firms Announce New Integrations and Initiatives - According to reports, fintech bank Revolut recently announced a partnership with Ledger, a major crypto hardware wallet provider, to make it easier for...more
This monthly bulletin is designed to help companies identify important legal developments governing the use and acceptance of blockchain technology, smart contracts, and digital assets....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
On May 23, 2024, the Joint Chiefs of Global Tax Enforcement (the “J5”) published an advisory note for financial institutions, identifying red flags associated with crypto-related illicit activities. The J5 is a collaborative...more
EigenLayer TVL Surpasses $20B; New Self-Custodial Wallet Features Launch - According to recent reports, the total value locked (TVL) on the Ethereum network-based EigenLayer restaking protocol recently surpassed $20...more
Crypto assets are some of the most rapidly evolving and increasingly adopted assets in the world. Decentralized Finance (DeFi) is emerging as a blockchain-based alternative to traditional banking and financial services and...more
TradFi/DeFi Integrations Announced, Yield-Bearing Stablecoin Launches - According to reports, Robinhood, a major U.S. financial services company, has entered into an agreement to acquire Bitstamp, a global cryptocurrency...more
Financial Institutions Add Bitcoin ETFs, Crypto Product Integrations Continue - According to recent reports, two major U.S. financial institutions have begun offering spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to their...more
Crypto Exchanges Launch Institutional Platform, LATAM Stablecoin - A major U.S. cryptocurrency exchange recently announced the launch of an institutional platform “aimed at institutions, asset managers, hedge funds and...more
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
Crypto Firms Make Acquisitions, Integrate Products; New Crypto Index Launches - According to a recent press release, a major U.S. fintech company has announced an agreement to acquire a major digital asset custody provider....more
In addition to tokens and crypto issuers, the SEC enforcement continued its focus on crypto lending and trading platforms. In January 2023, the SEC brought two enforcement actions against three firms for unregistered offer...more
In November 2023, almost 11,000 cryptocurrencies and digital tokens were listed on CoinMarketCaps.com. In addition, tens of thousands of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are sold daily on various crypto exchanges and NFT platforms....more
Katten's Financial Markets and Funds Quick Take is a monthly newsletter highlighting key noteworthy developments potentially affecting financial markets and funds....more
Taxpayers can receive significant tax benefits when donating cryptocurrency and other appreciated digital assets to a charity. This article looks at some key considerations to keep in mind as you consider all your options....more
Charities should address several issues when considering whether to accept donations of digital assets, defined to include cryptocurrency, stablecoins, and non-fungible tokens (NFTs)....more
Key developments of interest over the last month include: the FCA publishing key findings from its multi-firm review of payment account providers’ systems and controls against money mule activity; ESMA clarifying the timeline...more
Taxpayers can take a tax deduction with respect to “theft” losses that result from an illegal “taking of property” done with criminal intent. Among various other types of criminal activities, fraud is treated as theft under...more
Summary - The SEC’s pursuit of the crypto industry continues with its second-ever settlement of a non-fungible token (NFT) enforcement action. The SEC settled with Stoner Cats 2 LLC (SC2), which sought to finance an...more
CryptoLink is a compilation of news stories published by outside organizations. Akin aggregates these stories, but the information contained in them does not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of the firm. Akin's...more
Two SEC commissioners dissented and urged the Commission to provide further guidance on non-fungible tokens ("NFTs")....more
On August 28, 2023, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced an enforcement action against Impact Theory, LLC, alleging that Impact Theory’s public sale of approximately $30 million in crypto assets violated...more
In a published settlement of the charges on August 28, 2023, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) stated that non-fungible tokens (“NFTs”) issued by Impact Theory, LLC (“Impact”) were “securities” under US...more