The defunct firm is not the first to run aground due to failure to abide by U.S. securities laws. The Securities and Exchange Commission sinks the firm behind another initial coin offering. Per a Dec. 21 cease and desist order, the SEC has determined that ShipChain’s ICO for its SHIP Tokens was another example of…
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The crypto industry is ending 2020 on a high note, while major social media platforms face a phalanx of lawmakers and lawsuits. Every Friday, Law Decoded delivers analysis on the week’s critical stories in the realms of policy, regulation and law. Law Decoded will be going on a break next week for the holidays but…
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Robert Farkas will face the lightest felony sentence possible for his role in Centra Tech’s 2017 ICO. A Manhattan court has sentenced the operator of the fraudulent crypto investment firm Centra Tech to a year and a day in prison. Per a Tuesday announcement from the Department of Justice, Robert Farkas successfully solicited $25 million in…
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Another ICO case comes to a close. After years of legal action from United States governing bodies, Blockvest, a 2018 initial coin offering, or ICO, has received its final orders. “The SEC, as a government agency, seeks a permanent injunction, disgorgement of funds received from Defendants’ illegal conduct, and civil penalties,” said a court document…
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FinHub will have new independence and responsibilities, reporting directly to the SEC’s chairman. Per a Dec. 3 announcement, the Securities and Exchange Commission’s fintech team will become an independent office. Initially launched in 2018 under the guidance of Bill Hinman, the SEC’s Strategic Hub for Innovation and Financial Technology, or FinHub, has been a leading force…
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New, small-scale research from Xangle takes a look at investors’ reflections on their initial coin offering investments between 2017 and fall 2020. Research outfit Xangle has found that a third of sampled retail investors in the United States felt “deceived” by initial coin offerings, or that the projects had withheld information from them. Notably, Xangle’s…
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Numerous on-chain indicators suggest Ethereum price is on the verge of another 2017-style bull run. Ether (ETH) price is currently ranging between $440 and $470, which is similar to the price action seen in December 2017. Back then, the scenario ended up being incredibly bullish, and the altcoin quickly rocketed toward $1,400. Fast forward to…
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A new virtual assistant powered by blockchain can complete insurance contracts without human assistance. Malta-based virtual assistant firm Vaiot has integrated IBM’s Watson Assistant with the Cosmos blockchain to sell car insurance. The new platform features an end-to-end sales process that does not require human assistance to complete the car insurance contracts. The mobile app…
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Blockchain technology is just a tool that solves a problem, it cannot be the goal of the entire project. In 2017, when everything concerned with cryptocurrency and blockchain still looked fresh and interesting, it seemed that there would be no day without a new “revolutionary” project or idea. Decentralized financial system, decentralized torrent tracker, decentralized…
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The outlook is grim for the Canadian messaging app as it loses $5 million over its ICO for Kin tokens. On Wednesday, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced the end of its lawsuit against Kik Interactive. The Canadian messenger app fell afoul of the U.S. regulator for failing to treat its sale of KIN…
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