On February 28, 2023, the National Futures Association (NFA), the self-regulatory organization for U.S. derivatives market participants, submitted to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) for approval a new Compliance Rule 2-51: Requirements for Members and Associates Engaged in Activities Involving Digital Asset Commodities. Compliance Rule 2-51 would impose compliance…
Throughout a tumultuous 2022, the digital currency and blockchain space saw a number of significant investigation, litigation, and enforcement matters as regulators continue their laser focus on the industry. Our 2022 Year in Review, authored by members of Goodwin’s leading Digital Currency and Blockchain team, recaps the most significant litigation…
In a first of its kind enforcement action, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) is attempting to hold participating members of a decentralized autonomous organization (“DAO”) liable for alleged violations of the Commodity Exchange Act (“CEA”) and CFTC regulations. The CFTC argued (1) that the DAO is an unincorporated association;…
The plethora of public statements and draft legislation published over the past few months in the US as part of the effort to define a regulatory framework for digital assets have all but failed to bring market participants the clarity they need. Just last week, the White House published a…
Many in the crypto industry have been calling for clear guidance from government regulators, especially as new sectors like DeFi evolve and high-profile companies collapse. Jonathan Shapiro, Complex Litigation & Dispute Resolution partner, said that SEC registration creates new challenges for companies and investors, especially because they haven’t been issued explicit guidance. “There’s…
The White House recently published a “Framework for Responsible Development of Digital Assets,” following up on President Joe Biden’s executive order on digital assets earlier this year, which set forth six principal policy objectives in furtherance of U.S. initiatives in the crypto and digital asset space. The framework directs financial…
The advance of the regulation of crypto-assets and crypto-related service providers has been piecemeal in the U.K. The latest round of changes took place in the Money Laundering Regulations 2017 (MLR) on 1 September 2022 with some provisions, including the “change in control” provisions, coming into force on 11 August 2022….
Goodwin recently appointed Andrew Henderson as regulatory partner to its Private Investment Funds’ practice in London. Dr. Henderson has over 20 years’ experience advising financial institutions, including asset and investment managers, as well as family offices and technology providers on financial services regulation and risk management. He also works closely…
Goodwin partner Grant Fondo was recently interviewed on CoinDesk TV in regards to the Digital Commodities Consumer Protection Act that was introduced on Wednesday, August 3, 2022. The proposed legislation suggests that the CFTC should control crypto spot markets, specifically bitcoin and ether, which the bill classifies as commodities. To…
Hong Kong has traditionally been a hub for digital asset businesses in the region. As regulators in Hong Kong are working to tighten the regulatory regime on virtual asset exchanges, market players and investors seeking to take advantage of the burgeoning digital asset industry should keep up-to-date with the changing…