Non-fungible token (“NFT”) issuers and the NFT market will want to take note of the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (“SEC”) statement this week that NFTs issued by Impact Theory, LLC were “securities” under US federal securities law and the sale of those NFTs without registration or reliance on an exemption from the registration requirements
Joseph A. Castelluccio
Ripple is Not a Tidal Wave – the SEC’s Case Against Terraform Labs Provides a Quick Counterpoint to the Recent Ripple Ruling
Just weeks after the novel securities analysis in SEC v. Ripple Labs was handed down, a different court in the Southern District of New York has distinguished the approach taken in Ripple and argued against its policy outcomes in another, high-profile enforcement action by the SEC involving digital assets. In this Legal Update, we examine…
Defining Digital Asset Securities: US District Court Issues Summary Judgment Rulings in SEC v. Ripple Labs
In a closely-watched ruling, on July 13, 2023, a US federal court granted summary judgment and made several key determinations on the question of whether digital tokens are “securities” for US securities law purposes. While the Court’s decision provides a number of meaningful rulings, it leaves many questions unanswered and will not be the final…
Virtual Currency Activity Prior Approval Requirement Established by NYDFS
Posted in Fintech, Regulatory
On December 15, 2022, the New York Department of Financial Services (“NYDFS”) issued guidance clarifying that all New York banking organizations are required to obtain prior agency approval for virtual currency-related activity (“2022 Guidance”). The 2022 Guidance is similar to prior notice guidance issued by the federal banking regulators but establishes highly prescriptive information requirements…
What the FSOC Report Signals About the Future of Crypto-Asset Policy
Posted in Fintech, Regulatory
On October 4, 2022, the US Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) released its Report on Digital Asset Financial Stability Risks and Regulation (FSOC Report). Weighing in at over 120 pages, the FSOC Report provides a thorough discussion of the regulation of crypto-assets and their potential financial stability risks. Most importantly, the report sets forth several…
U.S. Treasury Issues Three Reports on the Future of Digital Assets and Central Bank Digital Currency
Posted in Fintech, Public Policy
On September 16, 2022, the Treasury Department issued three reports pursuant to President Joseph Biden’s March 9 Executive Order 14067 on “Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets.” The issuance of the reports was followed by Treasury Under Secretary for Domestic Finance Nellie Liang giving remarks at the Brookings Institution on September 22 explaining the reports…
Biden Executive Order Calls for Regulatory Proposals on Digital Assets and Central Bank Digital Currency
On March 9, 2022, President Biden signed an executive order titled “Ensuring Responsible Development of Digital Assets” (the “Order”). The Order directs a broad range of federal agencies to recommend legislative and regulatory proposals to foster the development of, and address the risks presented by, digital assets and a central bank digital currency. This Legal…
US Financial Regulators Release Much-Anticipated Report on Stablecoins
On November 1, 2021, the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets (PWG) released its much-anticipated Report on Stablecoins. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency joined the PWG in issuing the report, which provides an overview of how stablecoins are created and operate, discusses the risks they present…