Sky Blog
The world of decentralized finance (“DeFi”) recently witnessed a stark illustration of its inherent risks with the liquidation of James Wynn’s 949 BTC (valued at $99 million at the time) leveraged long position on Hyperliquid, a decentralized perpetuals …
Advocates of blockchain technology promised that it would revolutionize governance through strong commitments, transparency, and “trustlessness” – the absence of any need to trust a bank or other intermediary. In a recent paper, I argue that these promises have largely …
After nearly two decades of regulatory uncertainty, digital assets stand at a critical juncture in American financial law. On July 18, 2025, President Trump signed the “Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins Act,” known as the GENIUS Act, …
The promise of decentralized finance (DeFi) was that it would replace often conflict-ridden financial intermediaries and hierarchies with automated systems that we could trust. The reality, however, is that DeFi has not eradicated conflicts or trust issues but shifted them …
On May 29, 2025, the staff of the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance (the “Staff”) issued a statement concluding that certain proof-of-stake blockchain “staking” activities do not involve the offer or sale of “securities” within the meaning of the Securities …
As regulators and policymakers across the federal government press forward with creating long-sought rules of the road for the cryptoasset industry, several recent developments bear particular significance for the promise of the decentralized internet, or Web3. Among these is the …
Channeling the old adage of “fake it ‘till you make it,” today’s statement from the Division of Corporation Finance declares that “protocol staking” – locking up crypto tokens in a blockchain protocol to earn rewards – does not involve an …
The topic of this afternoon’s discussion is timely as securities are increasingly migrating from traditional (or “off-chain”) databases to blockchain-based (or “on-chain”) ledger systems.[1]
Welcome to the penultimate day of the SEC’s 31st International Institute for Securities Market Growth and Development. Before I begin, as I am sure you anticipate based on what you have heard from many SEC speakers this week, my …
In April 2025, the landscape of U.S. crypto regulation shifted significantly. Three of the country’s principal bank regulators – the Federal Reserve, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC), and the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) – jointly …
Changes to the SEC’s specialized crypto enforcement unit signal a reduced focus on non-fraud crypto cases and increased prioritization of traditional cybersecurity issues, use of emerging technologies to defraud retail investors and crypto cases involving fraud.
On February 20, 2025, …
The United States is ushering in a new era of crypto reforms. Only a few days ago, Mark Uyeda, the acting chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), announced the formation of the Crypto Task Force to be spearheaded …
Blockchain technology promises a future where intermediaries, such as banks and governments, are no longer necessary to facilitate transactions or enforce rules. Instead, trust is embedded directly into the system through cryptography and consensus mechanisms. Blockchains underpin cryptocurrencies …
The election of Donald Trump to a second term as President signals the potential for a fundamental shift in the U.S. regulatory landscape for users of crypto assets and blockchain technology across a variety of sectors, including gaming, art and …
In the rapidly evolving world of blockchain technology, smart contracts have emerged as a revolutionary tool for documenting transactions. These self-executing contracts, with terms transcribed directly into code, are designed to automate and enforce agreements without the need for intermediaries.
In a new article, I attempt to build a systematic framework for regulating FinTech-driven innovations. In doing so, I clarify and simplify the confusing terminology that makes FinTech appear more complicated than it is.
“FinTech” refers to the use of …
In a recent paper, we make the case for a smart contract-based automated restructuring framework that can be used by any firm that issues equity and debt securities in tokenized form. The paper is the basis for an actual smart-contract …
The value of assets on the blockchain has soared to billions of dollars, stored everywhere from Bitcoin to Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs to play-to-earn gaming. Some of those assets, though, have crashed and burned in the wake of market …
As the original cryptocurrency, Bitcoin has received more than its share of exposure, including as a harbinger of the possibilities of blockchain. Since the 2008 brainchild of Satoshi Nakamoto hit the internet, supporters of the original cryptocurrency have lauded it …