• 11 crypto firms sued illegal ICOs
    The Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York will see 11 crypto firms sued for ICOs (Photo: uscourts.gov)
    Cryptocurrencies,  People,  Regulation

    Crypto faces ‘The man who took on Wall Street’

    On the day before the statute of limitations expired, the lawyer who extracted $25 billion from banks over the subprime mortgage crisis sued 11 cryptocurrency firms for holding illegal ICOs

    April 9, 2020 /

    Eleven cryptocurrency issuers and exchanges including Tron, Block.one, and Binance were hit with class action lawsuits last week for holding or supporting initial coin offerings. Ominously, they were filed by a group of lawyers led by Philippe Selendy, who the Financial Times called “The man who took on Wall Street” after he forced 16 major banks including Citigroup, Goldman Sachs, and JPMorgan Chase to pay $25 billion for their part in the subprime mortgage crisis that sparked the Great Recession of 2007.

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  • Keeping crypto in a piggy bank is still safer than many exchanges (via Shutterstock).
    Keeping crypto in a piggy bank is still safer than many exchanges (via Shutterstock).
    Cryptocurrencies

    Crypto firms may not remain banking pariahs forever

    Senate, Federal Reserve express interest in crypto banking regulations; financial institutions’ patents say they are also interested

    March 4, 2019 /

    When it comes to getting a bank account, cryptocurrency and blockchain firms are being treated like marijuana sellers. That may not be a bad thing.

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  • world map
    (Image via Shutterstock)
    Asia & Australia,  Europe,  Regulation

    As the US dithers on regulating cryptocurrencies, other regions move forward

    Support for blockchain technology is stronger both in the US and abroad

    December 21, 2018 /

    Cryptocurrency and blockchain enthusiasts were excited about the ​announcement​ this week that President Donald Trump plans to name Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney, a longtime supporter of cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology, as his interim White House chief of staff before the end of the year. As a congressman, Mulvaney was a co-founder of the ​Congressional Blockchain Caucus​. When it comes to actually embracing cryptocurrencies, the U.S. has been generally skeptical. As a recent opinion piece in the ​Harvard Business Review​ by law firm Jones Day blockchain initiative leaders Stephen J. Obie and Mark W. Rasmussen noted: ​“Without clear regulations, cryptocurrency innovation in the United States is being stifled.…

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  • Representatives of seven Southern European countries.
    Representatives of seven Southern European countries after signing a joint declaration promoting the use of blockchain technology in providing government services. Representatives from Italy, Portugal, and Spain are inexplicably shielding themselves (photo by Ray Attard via Prime Minister Silvio Schembri's Twitter account).
    Cryptocurrencies,  Europe

    Southern Europe stakes a claim to blockchain leadership

    Seven EU members including France, Spain, and Italy commit to advancing blockchain law and technology

    December 5, 2018 /

    Seven European Union member states including France, Spain, and Italy have signed a joint declaration committing them to promoting the use of blockchain technology in providing government services. Led by Malta, which has been positioning itself as the EU’s “Blockchain Island,” the seven Mediterranean nations on Dec. 4 announced their “forward-looking vision to make Southern Europe a leader on emerging technologies, such as Distributed Ledger Technologies,” another name for the blockchain technology underlying cryptocurrencies. “We believe that Distributed Ledger Technologies could be one of the instruments that can help our countries transform their economies and society into truly digital ones and become a leading region in this sector,” the declaration…

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