On March 5, 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced charges and a corresponding cease-and-desist order (the “Order”) with ShapeShift AG, a cryptocurrency exchange registered in Switzerland that previously operated out of Colorado.  The Order notes that ShapeShift allowed its users to buy and sell certain crypto assets that are considered securities as defined in Section3(a)(10) if the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. ...

On February 7, 2024, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) announced charges and a related cease-and-desist order (the “Order”) against TradeStation Crypto, Inc. (“TradeStation”) for failing to register the offer and sale of its crypto-lending product.  In order to settle these charges, TradeStation agreed to pay a $1.5 million penalty.  As part of the agreement, TradeStation did not admit or deny the findings.  TradeStation’s...

Matt Stankiewicz, Partner at The Volkov Law Group, joins us for another post discussing how the SEC’s recent settlement with BarnBridge DAO may impact the cryptocurrency industry. Matt can be contacted at [email protected]. On December 23, 2023, BarnBridge DAO (“BarnBridge”) and its founders, Tayler Ward and Troy Murray, agreed to settle charges with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”).  BarnBridge violated Sections5(a) and 5(c) of...

Matt Stankiewicz, Partner at The Volkov Law Group, breaks down Binance’s recent criminal settlement agreements with U.S. regulators. Matt can be reached at [email protected]. On November 21, 2023, The U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced settlement agreements with Binance Holdings Limited (“Binance”), the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange, and Changpeng Zhao (affectionally known as “CZ” in the cryptocurrency industry), the exchange’s founder and Chief Executive Officer...

Matt Stankiewicz, Partner at The Volkov Law Group, provides a post on the latest fraud charges in the cryptocurrency industry, brought against SafeMoon. Matt can be reached at [email protected]. On November 1, 2023, the U.S. Department of Justice (“DOJ”) and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) brought charges against cryptocurrency project SafeMoon LLC and its U.S. subsidiary SafeMoon US LLC, along with its three executives,...