On October 2, 2018, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro appeared on national television and announced the official launch of the Venezuelan Petro cryptocurrency. While the official website and wallet for the Petro appear to have launched and be fully operational, and it appears to be presently trading in various cryptocurrency exchanges, United States persons should be extremely wary of trading or investing in the Petro.
Continue Reading The Venezuelan Petro: A Blocked and Chained Cryptocurrency in the United States

A recent bipartisan letter from Members of Congress seeks clarification from SEC Chairman Jay Clayton as to the status of digital tokens and cryptocurrencies under the federal securities laws. The signatories expressed their view that not all digital tokens should be deemed securities, and voiced their concern that the SEC should not use its enforcement mechanism alone to craft policy on this issue.
Continue Reading Members of Congress Request SEC Guidance on Crypto Assets

A recent settled SEC enforcement action against an ICO issuer and its promoter calls into question the viability of the “airdrop” model of distributing digital tokens to investors. Whether such a distribution model runs afoul of the federal securities laws has been the subject of much debate in recent months, and the SEC’s case provides additional insight into their analysis of the issue.
Continue Reading SEC Brings Enforcement Case Involving “Airdrop” of Securities