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Cryptocurrency Law News

• Global Crypto Regulation Report: This report tracks the rapid evolution of digital asset frameworks across more than 50 global jurisdictions. It specifically highlights the shift from policy design to active implementation for stablecoins and institutional integration. OUR TAKEAWAY: Organizations must prioritize “compliance by design” to navigate increasingly prescriptive global standards and capitalize on the growing institutional adoption of tokenized assets. Read More →
• SEC–CFTC Crypto Coordination Meeting: Background, Substance, and Implications: This article details the January 2026 joint summit between the SEC and CFTC, which signaled a shift away from enforcement-led oversight toward a unified federal framework through “Project Crypto” and harmonized asset taxonomies. OUR TAKEAWAY: Compliance officers should prepare for enhanced interagency data sharing and a streamlined “minimum effective dose” regulatory approach that may reduce duplicative registration requirements for dually-regulated firms.Read More →
• Banks and Crypto Clash Over Tokens That Pay More Than Deposits: Traditional lenders and cryptocurrency companies are locked in a regulatory standoff over high-yield stablecoins, with banks arguing these products threaten to drain trillions in deposits while crypto firms fight proposed bans on passive interest. OUR TAKEAWAY: Firms should proactively structure yield-generating products to align with emerging distinctions between prohibited “passive interest” and potentially permissible “activity-based” rewards to mitigate regulatory risk. Read More →
• The CLARITY Act Delay and What It Reveals About U.S. Crypto Regulation: The Senate Banking Committee has postponed the markup of the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act following a withdrawal of support from key industry players, highlighting the persistent challenges in establishing a federal regulatory framework for cryptocurrency. The delay stems from disagreements over stablecoin rewards, the regulation of non-custodial software developers, and ethics provisions for government officials, effectively leaving the industry reliant on enforcement-based regulation while lawmakers attempt to resolve these structural conflicts. Read More →

• The SEC’s Approach to Digital Assets: Inside ‘Project Crypto’: In this speech, SEC Chairman highlighted the agency’s next steps in establishing a clear regulatory framework for digital assets through “Project Crypto,” focusing on applying the Howey test to evaluate whether crypto tokens qualify as securities. Emphasizing economic reality over labels, the framework distinguishes categories such as digital commodities, collectibles, and tools as generally non-securities, while tokenized securities remain regulated under federal securities laws. The approach acknowledges that investment contracts tied to crypto tokens can end as networks mature, promoting innovation while maintaining investor protections. The SEC also supports Congressional efforts to codify crypto market structure legislation for regulatory clarity. This initiative aims to balance fostering American innovation in digital finance with fair, transparent, and enforceable rules. Read More →

• State Crypto Policy Playbook: 5 Actions States Can Take to Advance Responsible Crypto Innovation
  While federal laws like the GENIUS and CLARITY Acts establish foundational crypto regulations, states remain vital in promoting responsible blockchain innovation. The playbook highlights five key measures states can pursue: 1) Enact laws like Wyoming’s Decentralized Unincorporated Nonprofit Association Act (DUNA) to grant legal status and protections to DAOs, enabling decentralized governance and better contracting; 2) Properly classify tokens to avoid miscategorizing non-financial tokens like arcade tokens and NFTs, easing regulatory burdens on creators and small businesses; 3) Establish public-private blockchain task forces for education, policy innovation, and harmonization; 4) Pilot blockchain applications in public sectors to enhance government transparency, efficiency, and services (e.g., digitizing DMV car titles, mobile voting, publishing state expenditures); and 5) Develop state-specific stablecoin frameworks aligned with federal standards to foster innovation and local needs. Through targeted, collaborative actions, states can complement federal efforts and help realize web3’s promise of open, user-controlled digital ecosystems.
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• The Great Bitcoin Dusting: Salomon’s Abandoned Wallet Gambit
  In 2025, thousands of dormant Bitcoin wallets received “dust” transactions with OP_RETURN messages from a Salomon Brothers client, warning owners that their wallets were considered abandoned and directing them to prove control within 90 days or risk losing rights to their assets under claims of constructive possession. The messages linked to legal notices referencing abandoned property law. While some speculated about hacking or quantum vulnerabilities, analysis revealed the campaign targeted mainly old P2PKH addresses, sparking speculation the sender aimed to lay legal groundwork for claiming unresponsive wallets in certain jurisdictions. Despite the elaborate on-chain campaign and legal threats, the legal viability and practical ability to seize assets without private keys remain doubtful. This episode highlights the intersection of blockchain transparency, legal innovation, and the unresolved status of unattended digital wealth.
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• A Regulatory Turning Point: What the SEC and CFTC’s Green Light Means for Spot Crypto Trading in the U.S.:
  On September 2, 2025, the SEC and CFTC issued a landmark Joint Statement clarifying that registered exchanges can list and facilitate trading of certain spot crypto asset products under current law, including those with leverage or margin. This interpretive guidance ends years of regulatory uncertainty, paving the way for mainstream integration of spot crypto products, anticipated ETF approvals, and increased institutional investment. The move reflects a coordinated, pro-innovation stance from both agencies as the U.S. positions itself as a global crypto finance leader. Exchanges must still uphold rigorous standards of clearing, surveillance, and transparency, but now have clear assurance to move forward.
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• Illinois Enacts Groundbreaking Crypto Consumer Protection Laws:
  On August 18, 2025, Illinois Governor JB Pritzker signed two pioneering laws to protect consumers in the cryptocurrency space. The Digital Assets and Consumer Protection Act (SB1797) establishes a regulatory framework requiring digital asset businesses to register with the state, implement robust cybersecurity and anti-fraud measures, maintain financial safeguards, and uphold customer protections similar to traditional finance. The Digital Asset Kiosk Act (SB2319) targets crypto ATMs, mandating registration, capping fees, setting transaction limits, and requiring refunds for scam victims. These laws address a growing regulatory gap amid rising fraud, signaling Illinois’s commitment to safeguarding investors despite the absence of a unified federal crypto framework. Read More →
• Let’s Talk Disclosure: Division of Corporation Finance’s Statement on Offerings and Registration of Securities in the Crypto Asset Markets: As part of an effort to provide greater clarity on the application of the federal securities laws to crypto assets,[1] the Division of Corporation Finance is providing its views[2] about the application of certain disclosure requirements under the federal securities laws to offerings and registrations of securities in the crypto asset markets. Read More →
• SEC Addresses Crypto Proof-of-Work Mining Activities: The SEC stated that designated crypto mining activities, specifically proof-of-work, are not securities. However, Democratic Commissioner Caroline A. Crenshaw expressed concern that the statement, like a previous one on meme coins, could be misinterpreted as a wholesale exemption. Read More →