The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has again been accused of overstepping its authority and unfairly labeling crypto assets as securities, this time in its insider trading case against ex-Coinbase employees. In an amicus brief filing on Feb. 22, the U.S.-based Chamber of Digital Commerce argued the case should be dismissed as it represented an expansion of the SEC’s “regulation by enforcement” campaign and seeks to characterize secondary market transactions as securities transactions. We have serious concerns about the SEC’s attempt to label these tokens as securities in the context of an enforcement action against third parties who …

Binance has joined the Chamber of Digital Commerce, a United States crypto industry lobbying group, according to a Dec. 20 press release from the exchange. The move comes after Binance has been criticized for allegedly being unregulated. Binance’s vice president of public affairs Joanne Kubba expressed hope that the partnership would help lead to clear regulations for the crypto industry in the U.S., stating: “As an organization at the crux of the industry's rapid growth and complex regulatory environment, working hand in glove with policymakers, regulatory bodies and industry groups like the Chamber is imperative for Binance. Such work is …

The Chamber of Digital Commerce (CDC) has requested to file an amicus brief in the case of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission v. Ripple Labs and its executives Bradley Garlinghouse and Chris Larsen. Liliya Tessler of the firm Sidley Austin filed a package of documents, including the proposed brief, with the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of New York on Sept. 14. The CDC is the world’s largest blockchain and digital asset trade group, with over 200 members that include industry players, investors and law firms. It argued that the Chamber does not have “a view …

A high-profile blockchain lobby group is urging United States lawmakers to adopt a “technology-neutral” approach when it comes to stablecoin regulation, arguing that dollar-pegged cryptocurrencies do not pose a system risk to the financial system. In a 17-page letter addressed to the President’s Working Group on Financial Markets, which includes regulators from the Department of Treasury and Federal Reserve, the Chamber of Digital Commerce outlined a six-point plan for future regulatory action involving stablecoins. According to the group, stablecoin laws should be technology-neutral, regulate in a manner that is proportionate to risk, ensure that the U.S. maintains a competitive advantage …

Today is Saint Valentine’s Day, and in honor of this most romantic of holidays, Cointelegraph presents five of the crypto community’s most notable unions and breakups of the past 12 months. Kelly Lynn Loeffler and Bakkt Kelly Lynn Loeffler split from the crypto world in 2019, but can you blame her? Loeffler left Bitcoin futures exchange Bakkt, where she was CEO, for a place with a slightly bigger cloakroom: the United States Senate. Loeffler was named to replace Georgia’s Republican senator Johnny Isakson, who retired for health reasons. She will reportedly help oversee the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), a …

Earlier this week, the Chamber of Digital Commerce went ahead and filed an amicus brief for the ongoing court hearing taking place between Telegram — one of the world’s most widely used encrypted messenger services — and the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. In its most basic sense, an amicus brief is a legal document that provides non-litigants with the right to submit their views and opinions in relation to an ongoing case for the court’s consideration. The brief was authored on behalf of the Chamber by Lilya Tessler, a partner and the New York head of Sidley Austin …

J. Christopher Giancarlo, former chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), plans to promote the blockchain-based United States dollar with a new think tank. Giancarlo, who earned the “Crypto Dad” moniker for advocating a “do no harm” approach to blockchain regulation, is now setting up a think tank called the Digital Dollar Foundation to promote the idea of digitizing the U.S. dollar. Giancarlo’s digital dollar is based on technology behind Bitcoin According to a Jan. 16 report by The Wall Street Journal, the ex-CFTC chairman is establishing the non-profit foundation to study prospects for converting the dollar into a …

Digital currency lobby group the Chamber of Digital Commerce receives approval from the Internal Revenue Service as a tax-exempt non-profit organization. On September 30, the Chamber of Digital Commerce announced it had received recognition from the U.S tax authority the IRS as a tax-exempt non-profit organization under the IRS Code Section 501 (c)(6) that classifies business leagues, chambers of commerce, real estate boards, boards of trade, and professional football leagues, which are not organized for profit, from paying taxes. In a press release, the Digital Chamber's President and Founder Perianne Boring said the recognition from the IRS was a big …

Note: Some minor corrections were made to this article shortly after publishing, further clarifying that the volunteers were not lobbying Congressional Members. The newly established Chamber of Digital Commerce descended on Washington D.C. on Friday with volunteers coming in from as far away as Texas and Florida. They handed out information to every Congressional Office on the hill, making sure that every member of Congress at least has had the opportunity to learn about Bitcoin and digital currencies. Full Disclosure: I attended the event as a participant. With 535 voting members of Congress, there was a lot of ground to …