On August 28, 2023, the SEC settled enforcement charges against a Los Angeles-based media and entertainment company for conducting an unregistered offering of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The case represents the SEC’s first foray into the NFT space.
Crypto Business
DOJ, BIS, and OFAC Issue Inter-Agency Guidance on Voluntary Self-Disclosures of Sanctions and Export Control Violations
As reported in a Hunton Client Alert, the US Department of Justice, the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security, and the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control recently issued guidance regarding the voluntary self-disclosure by US businesses of violations of US sanctions and export control laws to these…
Federal Court Declines to Follow Ripple Holding
As we previously reported in our summary of the Ripple case, a federal district court judged determined that under certain circumstances the offering of a digital asset does not create a security. The reasoning in the Ripple case has been criticized by leading to an outcome that places institutional investors ahead of retail investors and…
Court’s Ruling Splits Partly in Favor of SEC and Partly for Ripple
On July 13, 2023, the Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York issued the hotly anticipated ruling in the SEC’s case against Ripple Labs, Inc. On cross-motions for summary judgment, the court found that only Ripple’s sale of its XRP tokens to institutional buyers pursuant to sales contracts constituted unregistered sales of…
FTC Updates Endorsement Guides: Highlights Online Reviews, Social Media Tags, and Clear Disclosures
Last week, the FTC announced its long-awaited finalization of updated Endorsement Guides. These guidelines come after the FTC initially voted to publish revised guidelines in May 2022.…
Interagency Guidance for Bank Risk Management of Third-Party Relationships
As reported in a Hunton Client Alert last week, on June 6, 2023, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued final guidance on managing risks associated with third-party relationships, including relationships with fintechs.…
CFTC Wins Default Judgment Against Ooki DAO
On June 8, 2023, Judge William H. Orrick of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted a default judgment in favor of the CFTC against Ooki DAO, a cryptocurrency decentralized autonomous exchange.…
CFTC Staff Issues Alert on Risks of Clearing Digital Assets
On May 30, 2023, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission Division of Clearing and Risk issued a staff advisory on the risks associated with the Derivatives Clearing Organization clearing of digital assets.…
FTC Secures First Monetary Settlement Against Celebrity Endorsers
On May 22, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission announced its first monetary settlement with celebrity endorsers for a combined $1.7 million.…
New York Attorney General Proposes Sweeping Crypto Legislation
On May 5, 2023, New York Attorney General Letitia James released proposed legislation that seeks to regulate all facets of the cryptocurrency industry. Entitled the “Crypto Regulation, Protection, Transparency, and Oversight (CRPTO) Act,” if enacted the draft bill would substantially expand New York’s oversight of crypto enterprises conducting business in the Empire State.…