The Russian Association of Cryptocurrencies and Blockchain (RACIB) reported that around half of the ICO funds in the country that were raised in the past year—amounting to $300 million—have gone to pyramid schemes.
Citing the Howey Test, former Commodity Futures Trading Commission chief Gary Gensler said Ethereum and Ripple tokens could be “operating outside of U.S. laws.”
Vinny Lingham, the man dubbed as the 'Bitcoin oracle,' criticized that most tokens in existence are, in fact, securities.
Russia has ordered the company to be blocked in the country, but Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov and the entire community found ways around the system, and many began protesting the court’s action.
One of Centra’s co-founders, Raymond Trapani, was charged with violating the anti-fraud and registration provisions of the federal securities laws in connection with the 2017 ICO.
Chinese technology company Xunlei has become the subject of several class action lawsuits from investors who have bought the company’s digital token, LinkToken.
Facebook and Twitter recently banned ICO ads from their social media platforms, mainly due to fears over backlash if something were to go wrong (such as a $13-million pyramid scam). LinkedIn co-founder Eric Ly, however, believes the ban will be lifted once regulatory issues are better defined.
Yassir Hankir, CEO of German startup Savedroid, resurfaced in a YouTube video claiming that the $50 million exit scam was really a PR stunt to push for "high quality ICO standards."
Barclays is said to be considering a cryptocurrency desk, and has been making inquiries of its customers, including its hedge fund operators and strong investors.
Malta's Financial Services Authority has come up with a proposal for a Financial Instrument Test, which should distinguish between what assets that come from initial coin offerings are actually securities.
Cambridge Analytica had already started discussions with a company that advises on how to initiate and set up ICOs, according to reports.
A cryptocurrency vlogger named Ian Balina was recently the target of a hack on his wallets, resulting in an apparent loss of digital assets worth around $2 million.
