Open blockchains have all kinds of startup innovators excited.
That’s what we took away from a fireside chat that Brad Burnham conducted with Peter and me at Union Square Ventures’ office this week. The room was mostly comprised of...
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It should not be a crime to help victims of ransomware
A recent court filing suggests that selling a victim the bitcoins needed to pay a ransom may be seen as complicity in the attack.
Ransomware is a detestable scourge on the internet, and it’s a shame that for many it is their first exposure to Bitcoin. As we have previously explained, Bitcoin is not...
Securities Laws Aren’t the Only Rules Token Sales Have to Consider
Peter Van Valkenburgh discusses potential AML/KYC issues for cryptographic token sales. This article originally appeared in CoinDesk.
There is a dangerous hole in our current understanding of federal regulation of token sales, and it's not what you may think. Several lawyers, myself included, have previously sounded the...
Six principles governments around the world should heed when considering blockchain regulation
Understanding, engagement, and a transparent regulatory processes are the keys to a successful approach.
All over the world, entrepreneurs and technologists are developing novel uses for cryptocurrencies and the open blockchain technologies they power. Depending on how those developers apply these technologies they may...
Why ransomware criminals use Bitcoin and why that could be their undoing.
Last week's major ransomware attack put Bitcoin back into spotlight. With that comes questions about what Bitcoin is, how it works, and why it is apparently favored by ransomware hackers....
It’s time to assess the potential for terrorist use of cryptocurrencies
Bank derisking and irrational state by state licensing help create the conditions for criminals and terrorists to abuse cryptocurrency networks.
News reports today that Congress may soon commission a study assessing the link between terrorism and virtual currencies have generated concern within the cryptocurrency community, but they shouldn’t. No one should...
Wary banks may be choking off the blockchain industry.
Aggressive de-risking is nothing new for digital currency businesses. Last year we released a report documenting the difficulty these startups had been having in securing banking relationships. Now the problem...
The CSBS is suing the OCC to stop the new special purpose national bank charter for fintech firms.
In a press release, CSBS (the Conference of State Bank Supervisors) makes some alarming claims, suggesting the OCC is doomed to fall asleep at the switch, allow firms to fail,...
Overzealous AML enforcement doesn’t just harm innovation, it can also be deadly.
That’s what the conclusion of new research reported in the Washington Post today showing that the same kind of bank “derisking” that affects the deposits, wire transfers, and access to...
In a letter to congress, their industry group, Financial Innovation Now, explained how state-by-state money transmission licensing is a major impediment to innovation in financial services here in the US: Payment...