Politics, Legal & Regulation

March 5, 2025 @ 3:06 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned Iran-based Behrouz Parsarad, the sole administrator of Nemesis, an online darknet marketplace, which was subject of an international law enforcement operation and “was taken down in 2024.” Prior to its takedown by… Read More

March 5, 2025 @ 11:49 am By JD Alois  |  

The SEC’s Investor Advisory Committee (IAC) will hold a meeting on March 6, 2025 to discuss several topics including retail fraud and Artificial Intelligence’s (AI) impact on operations. The first panel is as follows: Disclosure of Artificial Intelligence’s Impact on Operations AI poses a variety of… Read More

March 5, 2025 @ 11:43 am By JD Alois  |  

The EU has launched a new “first of its kind” program designed to help female entrepreneurs. The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Commission have started an initiative that aims to help EU commercial banks improve access to finance for women-owned and women-led SMEs… Read More

March 5, 2025 @ 10:24 am By JD Alois  |  

MiCA, or Markets in Crypto Assets, is a regulatory ecosystem created by the European Union. The rules provide guidance for most digital assets with the exception of digital securities. Eunice AI has announced a  MiCA whitepaper library to facilitate compliance for digital asset firms interested in… Read More

March 5, 2025 @ 8:42 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The Bank of Israel released its preliminary design for the Digital Shekel System and sees public feedback. At the end of 2024, the digital shekel project reached a major milestone with the completion of a high-level design for the DS. The design document is being… Read More

March 5, 2025 @ 8:19 am By Omar Faridi  |  

President Donald Trump’s recent proposal to integrate various altcoins—such as XRP, Solana (SOL), Cardano (ADA), and Ethereum (ETH)—into a national cryptocurrency strategic reserve has ignited a firestorm of debate within the crypto industry. One of the key takeaways from this is that at least it… Read More

March 4, 2025 @ 7:43 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

This past Thursday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) dismissed a significant lawsuit against Capital One and its parent company, Capital One Financial Corp, originally filed on January 14, 2025. The suit, launched just days before President Donald Trump’s inauguration, accused Capital One of depriving… Read More

March 4, 2025 @ 2:46 pm By JD Alois  |  

The Small Business and Entrepreneurship Council (SBE Council) says the suspension of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) mandate is a massive win for smaller firms. The CTA was aggressively pursued during the Biden Adminstration, placing an unrealistic burden on smaller firms. Yesterday, Secretary of… Read More

March 3, 2025 @ 9:05 pm By JD Alois  |  

The SEC Crypto Task Force has scheduled the first of what is expected to be a series of Roundtables. The first gathering will address the topic of when a digital asset is a security and when it is something else. The Series is labeled “Spring… Read More

March 3, 2025 @ 5:34 pm By JD Alois  |  

The newly announced SEC Crypto Task Force has provided an update on the staff engaged with aiding the process of providing regulatory clarity for digital assets. In a release today, the SEC outlined the Crypto Task Force staff members. The group is being helmed by Commissioner Hester Peirce, who… Read More

March 3, 2025 @ 1:34 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

BaFin has shared an update titled “Risks in Focus 2025” and it notes that climate change, geopolitics and a weak economy could “put pressure on Germany’s financial system.” BaFin noted on its official website that natural disasters made more likely by climate change, international tensions… Read More

March 3, 2025 @ 10:57 am By JD Alois  |  

President Donald Trump once again surprised the world with a bold declaration yesterday: His administration intends to pursue a Strategic Crypto Reserve. While details remain sparse, XRP, SOL, ADA, BTC, and ETH are anticipated to be included in the holdings. Switzerland-based Digital Asset Bank Sygnum… Read More

March 3, 2025 @ 9:40 am By JD Alois  |  

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will hold a roundtable on Artificial Intelligence (AI). The event will be held at SEC headquarters in Washington, DC, and is open to the public for either in-person or virtual attendance. AI is currently in use at most large,… Read More

March 2, 2025 @ 8:06 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

A little over a month into the Trump Administration, the U.S. finds itself at a crossroads of economic upheaval and transformative policy shifts. Businesses and consumers in the US are now grappling with uncertainty as proposed tariffs loom over major trading partners—25% on Canada and… Read More

March 2, 2025 @ 6:22 pm By JD Alois  |  

President Donald Trump has announced his intent to create a Crypto Strategic Reserve that includes XRP, SOL, and ADA. The statement was made on TruthSocial. David Sacks, the Administration’s Crypto and AI Czar, commented on X that Bitcoin and other top cryptocurrencies will be part… Read More

March 1, 2025 @ 1:14 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The Malta Financial Services Authority (MFSA) has released its Supervisory Priorities for 2025, outlining the Authority’s commitment to fostering market integrity, consumer protection, and financial stability. This document details the MFSA’s supervisory focus areas for 2025, building on its “compliance outcomes-based approach to supervision introduced… Read More

March 1, 2025 @ 1:00 pm By Omar Faridi  |  

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has recently changed its overall approach to crypto-related enforcement actions, signaling a potential switch in its once-aggressive “regulation by enforcement” strategy. On February 26, 2025, the SEC and Tron founder Justin Sun jointly requested a pause in their… Read More

March 1, 2025 @ 12:56 pm By JD Alois  |  

As the Trump Administration seeks to pursue policy that enhances artificial intelligence (AI) development as the world competes to dominate the emerging tech, the executive branch has asked for feedback on AI innovation as part of an executive order by the White House that is… Read More

March 1, 2025 @ 11:57 am By Omar Faridi  |  

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will reportedly be dropping all claims against Consensys. In recent days, the SEC has dropped investigations against other crypto firms as the Trump administration has taken a more digital asset-friendly stance towards financial innovation. Consensys and the SEC… Read More

February 28, 2025 @ 10:38 am By JD Alois  |  

Meme Coins, or crypto assets with no apparent value beyond the fact they exist, have been deemed not to be securities by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). According to a Staff statement, the Division of Corporation Finance (CorpFin): “transactions in the types of meme… Read More