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
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
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
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
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
On 30 October 2023, the UK government published its response to the consultation and call for evidence on the future financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets, whereby HM Treasury has confirmed its final...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
The new standard aims to improve accounting treatment of certain digital assets under GAAP and may pave the way for increased institutional adoption. On September 6, 2023, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)...more
In a move with significant implications for the crypto sector, the UK has enacted legislation to bring cryptoassets within the scope of the existing financial services regulatory regime. The relevant provisions of the...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
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
Summary - The SEC’s focus on the crypto industry expanded this week to include non-fungible tokens (NFTs). In its first NFT-enforcement action, the SEC settled with Impact Theory, a media and entertainment company, over...more
On August 28, the SEC entered an order against a Los Angeles-based media and entertainment company charging them with conducting an unregistered offering of crypto asset securities in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). ...more
The Israel Securities Authority recently promulgated its revised legislative proposal addressing the applicability of securities laws to digital assets. The proposed legislation aims to determine how securities laws will...more
On August 4, 2023, celebrity singer Austin Mahone entered into a settlement agreement with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) after being sued in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York (SDNY)...more
Introduction Until Notice 2023-27, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was silent about the tax treatment of nonfungible tokens (NFTs). When the IRS turned to NFTs, it focused on one aspect of NFTs: whether certain NFTs should...more