DigitalAssets.Law

Crypto CEO Linked To Jack Abramoff Convicted Of Fraud Abramoff became the first person charged with violating a law that was amended in response to his previous criminal offenses. He pleaded guilty to the lobbying violations and to criminal conspiracy for secretive and misleading work he did on behalf of cryptocurrency and marijuana projects, according to court documents. By Nathaniel Popper https://lnkd.in/eAR79Gn5

Great to finally see that Ireland's National Competent Authority for #MiCAR (Markets in #CryptoAssets Regulation) has published: 1) An Application Form (35 pages) to complement the MiCAR Key Facts Document (32 pages) 2) A statement confirming that "to ensure successful implementation of the new MiCAR regime in Ireland, cognisant of business demands and the 12-month transition period, we have put in place a well-resourced and expert team to deal with the CASP authorisation process. This team will continue to engage extensively and constructively with the sector and applicants." CompliReg has helpfully placed a copy of 1) the MiCAR Application Form; 2) the Key Facts Document; and 3] the Supervisory Expectations, on its website here https://lnkd.in/ejmsnn3Y so that applicants have one central location to quickly find these core documents. Get in touch with them if you are on the journey to become MiCAR authorised in Europe. Ireland is but just one country where the team works on MiCAR and Emoney/Payment authorisations. https://lnkd.in/e8bSr4PV

Olumide Osunkoya sentenced to 4 years in UK for illegally operating crypto ATM network. He was sentenced on 28 February 2025 to 4 years in prison for illegal crypto activity worth over ￡2.5m and associated offences. Between 30 December 2021 and 12 March 2022, Mr Osunkoya operated crypto ATMs at 28 different locations via his company, GidiPlus Ltd, despite being refused registration with the FCA. It is illegal to operate crypto ATMs in the UK without FCA registration. Mr Osunkoya later transferred the machines from GidiPlus Ltd and personally operated a reduced network of up to 12 crypto ATMs under a false name and company to evade detection. Mr Osunkoya failed to carry out the necessary checks to ensure that the ATMs were not being used by criminals to launder the proceeds of crime. Mr Osunkoya was also convicted and sentenced for forgery, using false identity documents, and possessing criminal property. https://lnkd.in/ejWv3Rn4 Crypto Assets Ireland

Argentina president faces impeachment calls over crypto crash by Tom Gerken "Argentine President Javier Milei is facing impeachment calls - and legal action accusing him of fraud - over his promotion of cryptocurrency on social media. Milei posted on X, formerly Twitter, about the $LIBRA coin on Friday, which he said would help fund small businesses and start-ups. He shared a link to buy it, causing its price to shoot up. But within a few hours, he deleted his post and the cryptocurrency nosedived in value, losing investors most of their money. Some opposition members of Congress say they plan to start proceedings to impeach Milei. Meanwhile, lawyers filed complaints of fraud in Argentina's criminal court on Sunday." https://lnkd.in/eDXfm3PR

Argentine President Javier Milei is facing impeachment calls - and legal action accusing him of fraud - over his promotion of cryptocurrency on social media. Milei posted on X, formerly Twitter, about the $LIBRA coin on Friday, which he said would help fund small businesses and start-ups. He shared a link to buy it, causing its price to shoot up. But within a few hours, he deleted his post and the cryptocurrency nosedived in value, losing investors most of their money. Some opposition members of Congress say they plan to start proceedings to impeach Milei. Meanwhile, lawyers filed complaints of fraud in Argentina's criminal court on Sunday.

"Should European banks consider holding cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin as a reserve asset?" By Anna Desmarais of @Euronews. In summary, after reading the article it seems that while the CNB’s investigation into cryptocurrency is bold, for other countries the hurdles—regulatory, financial, and political—make it unlikely that many will follow suit. Central banks generally err on the side of caution when managing reserve assets, and while there’s potential for crypto adoption in the future, the focus for most remains on stability, security, and predictability. If any country or central bank does take the plunge, it will be done cautiously and with close attention to regulatory and market impacts. https://lnkd.in/e6mByMfq

Following from Peter Oakes' post, see the official summary of the event from Sebastian Barling,?Andrew Good,?Deborah Kirk,?Stuart Levi,?Simon Toms,?Jonathan Benson?and?Joseph Kamyar of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates here: https://lnkd.in/d8DZ4QXs

Trump, Musk, Crypto, and Ireland. By Aaron McGarry Fieldfisher Ireland LLP "Ireland's established position as a European leader in fintech, its favourable corporate tax regime, and its deep pool of tech-savvy talent contribute to a robust ecosystem that will help Ireland capitalise on the positive momentum from the US in the cryptocurrency space. Although seemingly unrelated, the convergence of a new Trump administration and new EU regulations on asset exchanges presents a timely opportunity for Ireland to lead in holding and trading cryptocurrencies and digital assets more broadly. " https://lnkd.in/eYYU-tuR Crypto Assets Ireland

US government attorneys suspected Tom Goldstein, co-founder of SCOTUSblog and Supreme Court litigator, was lying about his financial condition. Goldstein was arrested again today for violating the terms of his pretrial release. The government alleges since Goldstein’s release he’s made millions of dollars worth of crypto transactions, a fact he kept hidden. As per government filings, Goldstein “fail[ed] to disclose the existence of two cryptocurrency wallets through which he received over $8 million in cryptocurrency and sent more than $6 million of cryptocurrency over the last five days.” https://lnkd.in/gG_p3qDH

First-step analysis: cryptoasset trading in Hong Kong By Adrian Fong,?Dominic Geiser,?Simon Hawkins?and Tsun Ming (Truman) Mak of Latham & Watkins LLP. Extensive article includes coverage of: * What rules and restrictions govern the exchange of fiat currency and cryptoassets? * Where are investors allowed to trade cryptoassets? How are exchanges, alternative trading systems and secondary markets for cryptoassets regulated? * How are cryptoasset custodians regulated? * How are cryptoasset broker-dealers regulated? * What is the legal status of decentralised cryptoasset exchanges? * What is the legal status of peer-to-peer (person-to-person) transfers of cryptoassets? * Does the law permit trading cryptoassets with anonymous parties? * Are foreign cryptocurrency exchanges subject to your jurisdiction’s laws and regulations governing cryptoasset exchanges? https://lnkd.in/d5XwU3jK