The Journey from Security to Non-Security: SEC Director Comments on Mutability of Token Treatment
- Many in the blockchain and cryptocurrency community were in a celebratory mood on June 14, 2018, following a landmark speech given by William Hinman, Director for the Division of Corporation Finance of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). Director Hinman’s remarks addressed,... ›
Cashing in on a New Customer Base
In this article, Jake M. Robson and Nick Davies highlight how joint ventures or strategic M&A can often be the most effective way to roll out and scale up a fintech product offering in multiple jurisdictions in southeast Asia. The article was first published... ›8 Key Items You Need to Consider Before Staging Your ICO
By: Spencer D. Klein
With over $8.8B raised via Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs) since 2014, and over 1,200 tokens in circulation with a combined market capitalization of over $300B, it’s not surprising that ICOs are an increasingly popular fundraising tool. In this post, we discuss eight key items... ›Cryptocurrency Compensation: A Primer on Token-Based Awards
By: Alfredo B. D. Silva
These days more and more companies are using virtual tokens to compensate and incentivize founders, directors, employees, and other service providers. For the most part, these token-based awards emulate traditional equity-based awards, but they differ from those awards in some important ways, particularly when... ›E-Money and Electronic Payments: Foreign Investment in the Philippine Financial Technology Sector
The combination of low levels of financial inclusion, a steadily growing GDP and high smart phone usage has resulted in the Philippines becoming a key market in Asia for venture capital and private equity investors, as well as strategic players looking for investment or... ›Understanding the CFTC’s Proposed Interpretation of “Actual Delivery” for Cryptocurrency Retail Commodity Transactions
Subject to certain exceptions, the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) makes it unlawful to enter into a transaction in any commodity with someone who meets the CEA’s definition of a “retail customer.” Nevertheless, many cryptocurrency platforms currently serve retail customers, relying on the CEA’s “actual... ›Do You Want to Launch an ICO? Please, Listen to the SEC
By: Spencer D. Klein
The Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Jay Clayton, urged market professionals who in any way participate in initial coin offerings (ICOs) to “act responsibly.” Having once stated that all the ICOs he’s seen have had “a sufficient number of hallmarks... ›SEC Staff Raises Concerns Related to Cryptocurrency ETFs and Mutual Funds
By: Kelley A. Howes
On January 18, 2018, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Division of Investment Management broke its relative silence regarding the recent growth of cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency-related products. While signaling that registration of funds intending to invest substantially in cryptocurrency and related products is not... ›Five "C"s To Watch in Silicon Valley’s Emerging Venture Capital Ecosystem in 2018
By: Murray A. Indick
In the coming year, start-up businesses and their investors should note the following areas, each of which can be boiled down to a single word that begins with the letter “C”: the importance of having access to the best human capital (“connections”); the likelihood... ›KNO-MO? The Seemingly Small (Yet Actually Chasmic) Gap Between Crypto Knowledge & Crypto Capability
Many consumers are knowledgeable enough about cryptocurrencies to be able to identify which tokens they want to purchase, but not tech-savvy enough to know how to purchase those tokens. Businesses that can provide better instruction on token purchasing or create more user-friendly interfaces are... ›