• Kik and SEC joint settlement
    Regulation

    Kik to pay $5M fine, ending two-year legal fight with SEC

    Although the multimillion-dollar fine might seem like a slap on the wrist given that Kik held a $100 million ICO, legal expenses have had a toll on the company

    The proposal comes three weeks after Hellerstein handed down a summary judgment finding that Kik’s $100 million ICO was an unregistered and illegal securities offering. He decided that the offering for Kin tokens had met the three-part Howey test, which assesses whether there is an investment of money in a common enterprise with profits to be derived solely from the efforts of others.

  • SEC kills Unikrn
    Regulation

    Online gaming platform with A-list investors killed by SEC

    Ashton Kutcher and Mark Cuban were among the investors in Unikrn, which is paying a $6.1 million penalty that is ‘substantially all of the company’s assets’ and disabling its tokens

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s unrelenting crackdown on unregistered initial coin offerings has claimed another victim—this time, an online gaming and gambling platform that attracted a star-studded list of investors.

  • Hester Peirce SEC nomination
    Cryptocurrencies,  Regulation

    “Crypto Mom” tells Senate crypto is here to stay

    At a hearing for a second term on the Securities and Exchange Commission, Hester Peirce called for clearer regulations on selling cryptocurrencies, and took issue with the project-killing lawsuit against Telegram

    Speaking at a hearing on her nomination for a second term on the Commission, the Republican appointee promised to “redouble” her effort to create such an environment in order to spur innovation and attract new entrants to the industry.

  • Jay Clayton’s leaving the SEC
    Bitcoin,  Cryptocurrencies,  Regulation,  United States

    Jay Clayton’s leaving the SEC. Could this be crypto’s big break?

    There are hopes that his successor as SEC commissioner will increase the likelihood of a Bitcoin exchange-traded fund finally being approved

    SEC chairman Jay Clayton has been nominated as high-powered position as the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York. Now, nerves are growing as to who will be tapped to take on his regulatory role, where he has been a persistent thorn in the side of Bitcoin and cryptocurrency boosters.