While some regulators are struggling to fit bitcoin’s innovative peg into preexisting holes—is bitcoin a currency or a commodity or something else entirely?—the novelty of digital currencies falls squarely within the regulatory purview of some agencies. One example is the Office of Foreign Assets Control, or OFAC, the unit within…
In the effort to bring digital currencies into the mainstream, companies are making concerted efforts to let consumers know that they are operating by the rules and with regulators’ blessings. One such company recently announced a bitcoin exchange. The exchange allows users to trade bitcoins and plans to first focus…
After months of doubts regarding the viability of Bitcoin due to concerns on everything from fraud and security to the currency’s volatility, the virtual currency recently got a healthy boost to its legitimacy. Last week, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss announced plans to develop a fully regulated Bitcoin exchange based in…
Anyone unhappy with New York’s proposed digital currency regulations, should head West, at least for now. As of January 1, 2015, the use of digital currencies (along with reward cards, virtual tokens, and other forms of payment most people likely never knew were of questionable legality) is legal in California, and…
Since the turn of the century, exchange traded funds (ETFs) have grown from an industry of less than $100 billion to a $2 trillion behemoth. And as virtual currencies such as Bitcoin continue to permeate the mainstream — Overstock.com now accepts payment in Bitcoin, as do thousands of other online…
The most anticipated set of guidelines for early 2015 is certainly New York’s BitLicense. Any day now, New York is slated to release yet another version of its proposed regime for public comment. In the spirit of college style last-minute exam cramming, let us catch you up on the story…
Happy New Year! With the bottles popped and the confetti descended, we take a look at the some of the most important legal and regulatory developments in the U.S. this past year. Federal Money Transmitter Law The most prolific regulatory actor in 2014 was by far the Financial Crimes Enforcement…