Decentralized finance (‘DeFi’) through smart contract technology has been touted as a major use case for blockchain technology ever since the launch of the Ethereum blockchain. One area within DeFi that received particular interest from an early stage is secured lending. Yet, in both Commonwealth and UCC jurisdictions, doubts exist over how such assets function… Read More »
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) have been in the spotlight for several years now following a trading frenzy and spectacular returns. An NFT is a digital record of ownership, created and stored on a blockchain, and thus tamper-proof and auditable. Blockchains are decentralized ledgers of transactions that are designed to run perpetually, hence providing the basis for… Read More »
Insiders are continually implementing new illegal trading strategies to avoid detection by regulators. Conventional illegal insider trading takes place in stocks. However, these strategies are evolving and also include trading using family member accounts or other securities such as options. In 2021, in the first case of its kind, the SEC charged an employee of… Read More »
The following is Lee Reiners’ oral statement delivered in front of the United States Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, And Urban Affairs at the Committee’s February 14th hearing entitled, “Crypto Crash: Why Financial System Safeguards are Needed for Digital Assets.” Thank you for inviting me to testify at today’s hearing. My name is Lee… Read More »
This essay summarizes new research findings regarding cryptocurrency-exposed companies (companies that hold cryptocurrencies) and why they should be excluded from Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) investment funds. ESG is an amorphous term with no universally agreed-upon definition. The environmental factor includes considerations like a company’s pollution, water usage, and effects on biodiversity. Social factors include… Read More »
Blockchain-based smart contracts have the potential to replace traditional contracts with decentralized contract enforcement in a way that does not involve a third-party intermediary. While smart contracts inherit key advantages from the base-layer blockchain infrastructure, such as decentralization, immutability, and transparency, they are also subject to the same trilemma that blockchains face: scalability, security, and… Read More »
As a new species of cryptographic asset based on blockchain technology, the non-fungible token (NFT) became prominent and attracted attention from academia and practitioners. Unlike cryptocurrencies, which primarily serve as a medium of exchange, NFTs are blockchain-recorded digital assets that can be anything digital, e.g., images, videos, and songs. The NFT market reached its peak… Read More »
This post is a summary of a paper that was selected for inclusion at the inaugural Digital Assets at Duke Conference at Duke University on January 20 and 21. The past year was not a good one for crypto, with Sam Bankman-Fried’s massive fraud through FTX/Alameda, Do Kwon’s failed algorithmic stablecoin experiment (Terra Luna), and… Read More »
If you have ever wondered whether you paid a fair price for a flight ticket or an apparel piece, you are not alone. Customers are often concerned about paying higher than the “fair value” of products and services. The fair value, however, is subjective. While customers expect the products to be reasonably priced based on… Read More »
On March 9, 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden issued a pivotal Executive Order “outlining the first ever, whole-of-government approach to addressing the risks and harnessing the potential benefits of digital assets and their underlying technology.” Meanwhile, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) considers protecting “main street” investors to be at the heart of U.S. financial… Read More »
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