Charlie Lee, the creator of major cryptocurrency Litecoin (LTC), believes that the ongoing spike in popularity of the nonfungible token, or NFT, industry has much in common with the 2017 initial coin offering, or ICO, mania. Lee provided at least five similarities between 2021’s NFT popularity and 2017’s ICO mania, also comparing both to the altcoin craze in 2013 in a tweet on Tuesday. According to the Litecoin creator, all three cryptocurrency phenomena look very similar, as they are easy to create “with no barriers” and simple to understand and explain. Lee noted that NFTs, ICOs and 2013’s altcoins also …

A federal district court in the United States has dismissed a securities fraud class action against Israel-based cryptocurrency firm Bancor. U.S. district judge Alvin Hellerstein ruled on Monday to dismiss a case against Bancor, stating that plaintiffs had failed to allege losses as well as citing lack of personal jurisdiction. The judge has also canceled an oral argument scheduled for March 4, 2021, entering judgment in favor of the defendants. The case was brought by New York law firms Roche Cyrulnik Freedman and Selendy & Gay in April 2020, alleging that the Bancor protocol developer, BProtocol Foundation, violated federal and …

The SEC’s recent inquiry into the Tim Draper-backed DeFi Money Market platform is the most recent example in a concerning trend of increasing action by regulators against unregistered securities. As a result of regulatory inquiries, DMM is ceasing operations. mTokens can be redeemed with interest accrued to-date through the following link: https://t.co/mWB1WacKaH — DMM DAO (@DMMDAO) February 5, 2021 It joins Kik Interactive, Ripple and Coinseed as crypto projects facing the wrath of regulators under aspects of securities law. The mystery behind DeFi Money Market’s abrupt closure on Feb. 5 was unveiled in the project’s official Telegram channel on Feb. …

Polkadot-powered decentralized exchange HydraDX has raised roughly $22.86 million in just the second public token sale offered using Balancer’s Liquidity Bootstrapping Pool, or LBP. However, one opportunistic trader was able to front-run the offering by exploiting the fact that Balancer’s LBP contracts are deployed in “unpaused” status by default. HydraDX is a substrate-based DEX that will use a single “omnipool” to drive automated market-making on the platform. The LBP offered Ethereum-based xHDX tokens that can be redeemed later for Hydra’s native HDX token. The LBP is designed to offer a mechanism for crypto projects to conduct fair launches that seeks …

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has charged three individuals for various cryptocurrency frauds including the 2018 initial coin offering for the Steven Seagal-promoted altcoin, Bitcoiin2Gen. A Feb. 1 SEC announcement estimates that Bitcoiin Gen founder John DeMarr, Start Options founder Kristijan Krstic, and promotor Robin Enos duped investors out of more than $11 million through two fraudulent and unregistered securities offerings from December 2017 until May 2018. The SEC alleges that Krstic and DeMarr first spruiked Start Options’ purported crypto asset mining and trading platform in December 2017 and January 2017, falsely claiming it was “the largest Bitcoin exchange …

This is the first of a three-part series based on Gary Gensler's extensive prior public statements on crypto. Here are parts 2 and 3. As the heir-apparent to the Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Gary Gensler’s most critical role in the future of crypto will be his thoughts on how cryptocurrencies intersect with securities regulation. Where crypto meets the SEC The SEC has been a focal point for the crypto world’s attention for a long time. While its initial enforcement actions in crypto were largely limited to overt fraud, the 2017 DAO Report was its entry into even …

The crypto bull season, and the accompanying hype, is undoubtedly upon us. Recalling some of the celebrities who got in on crypto during the historic winter 2017 market, actress Lindsey Lohan has now recorded a paid, promotional video for Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH). Lohan's video was commissioned by a crypto news outlet via a platform called Cameo, an online service that allows people or businesses to hire celebrities to record personalized video messages at an agreed price. According to the site, as of publication, a user can make a video request from Lohan for roughly $350. In the 12-second-long …

The Securities and Exchange Commission sinks the firm behind another initial coin offering. Per a Dec. 21 cease and desist order, the SEC has determined that ShipChain's ICO for its SHIP Tokens was another example of an unregistered securities offering in disguise. Registered ShipChain raised $27.6 million from the end of 2017 through the beginning of 2018, at the high tide of the ICO craze. Registering in Delaware at the end of November 2017, the firm promised to enhance transportation and shipping transparency with its undeveloped blockchain platform. Unfortunately for the firm, it tied access to that platform to purchase …

Every Friday, Law Decoded delivers analysis on the week’s critical stories in the realms of policy, regulation and law. Law Decoded will be going on a break next week for the holidays but will return in the new year. Editor’s note As the holidays loom, Bitcoin has been shattering all-time highs. For reasons why, consult Cointelegraph’s markets coverage. I honestly never know. Maybe with the act of Christmas shopping taking place behind the computer, people have turned to Coinbase instead of Amazon. Or maybe the threat of the Treasury demanding reports from exchanges interacting with self-hosted wallets has people trying …

The Tron Foundation has requested a New York federal judge dismiss a class action lawsuit alleging securities violations through Tron’s 2017 initial coin offering, describing the claims as “fatally flawed.” The Chinese blockchain developer filed a motion to dismiss on Dec. 15, asserting that the case has “no connection” to New York. The foundation also emphasized that the lead plaintiffs did not participate in Tron’s ICO, and that they filed the suit roughly two years after the offering’s completion: “Despite having not purchased during the initial offering or from Tron, plaintiffs attempt to form a nexus between their purchases and …

A Manhattan court has sentenced the operator of the fraudulent crypto investment firm Centra Tech to a year and a day in prison. Per a Tuesday announcement from the Department of Justice, Robert Farkas successfully solicited $25 million in investment during the 2017 initial coin offering boom. The ICO famously included promotion from boxer Floyd Mayweather and musician DJ Khaled, both of whom got in legal trouble for failing to disclose that they were paid for their participation. On top of the celebrity endorsements, Farkas' scheme included lies about Centra Tech's licensing as a money services business in 38 states, …

After years of legal action from United States governing bodies, Blockvest, a 2018 initial coin offering, or ICO, has received its final orders. “The SEC, as a government agency, seeks a permanent injunction, disgorgement of funds received from Defendants’ illegal conduct, and civil penalties,” said a court document filed on Thursday. The court case takes aim at both Blockvest, and its founder, Reginald Buddy Ringgold III, also known as Rasool Abdul Rahim El. The Securities and Exchange Commission put the brakes on Blockvest in October 2018. The following two years saw a number of legal dealings and developments. Today’s news …