Questions of FinTech and RegTech have been paramount in my mind and, I think it is safe to say, the minds of my fellow Commissioners in recent months.[1]
Old Fields and New Corn
On the paneled walls of the
Initial coin offerings (ICOs) have recently emerged as a popular method of financing blockchain-related startups. In an ICO, a startup creates and distributes its digital tokens, typically in exchange for Bitcoin, Ethereum, or fiat currencies such as U.S. dollars to …
In recent years, Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) have emerged as a disruptive tool in entrepreneurial finance. ICOs involve the sale of a stake in a project with the aim of raising funds at an early stage of development. Although ICOs …
In the last few years, an increasing number of digital platforms have launched initial coin offerings (ICOs). ICOs are primarily studied from the perspective of securities laws. In a new paper, however, I examine how bankruptcy law applies to entities …
In recent years, we have seen significant advances in technologies – including blockchain and other distributed ledger technologies – that impact our securities markets. This statement[1] highlights several recent Commission enforcement actions involving the intersection of long-standing applications of …
Starting in November 2018, U.S. public, open-ended mutual funds will have the option to adjust the daily pricing of the fund—the net asset value or NAV—to account for and recoup large transaction costs. Currently, the fund, and therefore its remaining …
If there was ever a regulatory grace period for virtual currencies and blockchain technology, it is officially over. Five federal regulators—The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network of the US Treasury Department (FinCEN), the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Commodity Futures …
Questions of FinTech and RegTech have been paramount in my mind and, I think it is safe to say, the minds of my fellow Commissioners in recent months.[1]
On the paneled walls of the
Sales of blockchain tokens in so-called initial coin offerings (“ICOs”)[1] exploded in 2017. According to CoinSchedule, a website that tracks ICO (or digital token sale) data, the total amount raised in ICOs in 2017 was $3,700,682,293, which compares to …
While blockchain, legally referred to as distributed ledger technology (DLT), or dispositif d’enregistrement électronique partagé (DEEP) in French, was first developed for the creation of virtual currencies such as bitcoin, it is also a technology that allows for …
Thank you for that warm welcome.[1] I am delighted to join you today by videoconference. I know Meredith [Cross] has prepared questions. I look forward to answering those, as well as questions from this distinguished audience. When I was
The blockchain revolution is upon us. In a seemingly endless wave of coverage focusing on everything from financial services to healthcare to supply chain management, commenters are predicting fundamental changes to technology and business models.
Smart contracts – electronic …
Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Chairman Jay Clayton recently discussed the uncertainties surrounding token offerings and other forms of distributed ledger-based financing.[1] Mr. Clayton cautioned that the lack of information regarding online platforms that list and trade virtual coins …
Blockchain is the technology that underpins digital currencies such as Bitcoin – but it has far wider applications and is being used in a growing number of areas. The blockchain has the potential drastically to alter the global financial system. …
For most of the 20th Century, Eastman Kodak Company (often referred to simply as Kodak) was one of the most recognizable brands in the world. Founded in 1888, Kodak dominated the film and camera markets — in 1976, Kodak …
On July 25, 2017, the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) Division of Enforcement issued a report of investigation under Section 21(a) (the “Report”) concluding that blockchain tokens sold by The DAO (“DAO Tokens”) were securities as defined under relevant law. …
The blockchain protocol (a form of a ‘distributed ledger system’) was originally designed as a platform to process Bitcoin transactions. The protocol enables peer-to-peer transactions and eliminates the need for a trusted intermediary to verify and process the transactions.
The …
Following last May’s announcement of the “Delaware Blockchain Initiative” by former Delaware Governor Jack Markell[1], on March 13, 2017, the Corporate Council of the Corporation Law Section of the Delaware State Bar Association released groundbreaking draft legislation proposing …
In 2016, enterprising software developers sought to create a business entity with a unique governance structure: a leaderless, decentralized venture capital firm that would allow investors to vote on and collectively fund proposals. The Distributed Autonomous Organization (DAO) attracted more …
The World Economic Forum threw a knockout punch last month when it released its report, “The Future of Infrastructure: An Ambitious Look at How Blockchain Can Reshape Financial Services.”[1] When Giancarlo Bruno, the World Economic Forum’s Head …