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Staking Regulation Best Practices: An Overview by Alison Mangiero, Executive Director of POSA
thedinarian
March 18, 2023
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Key Takeaways

  • Alison Mangiero of POSA provides an overview of staking and its importance for the security and maintenance of blockchain networks, emphasizing that staking should not be considered an investment scheme or subject to securities regulations.
  • The regulatory landscape for staking is complex, needing a clear differentiation between staking, lending, and other financial products to facilitate appropriate regulatory treatment.
  • POSA established the Staking as a Service Industry Principles in 2019, providing guidelines for industry participants to maintain focus on network security and avoid regulatory scrutiny. The principles include using non-financial terminology, focusing on security and network participation, and not providing guarantees on rewards earned.
  • Liquid Staking Tokens (LSTs) should be accurately described and differentiated from derivatives (LSDs) to ensure clarity and avoid regulatory confusion. LSTs should not be considered investment contracts, notes, or securities under U.S. federal securities laws, nor should they be considered swaps under commodity law.
  • Accurate terminology and clear communication are crucial when discussing staking and related services, making it easier for regulators and lawmakers to understand the technology and its importance in blockchain networks.

  • Ongoing regulatory developments may include potential banking packages addressing stablecoin and custody regulations and additional enforcement actions targeting custodial staking arrangements.

  • The industry should prioritize educating regulators and lawmakers on the differences between staking, lending, and other financial products to facilitate appropriate regulatory treatment and promote a healthy regulatory environment.

In a recent panel discussion during the Staking Rewards Institutional Ethereum Staking Forum, Alison Mangiero, Executive Director of the Proof of Stake Alliance (POSA), delivered a comprehensive presentation on staking regulation in the blockchain industry. In her talk, Alison discusses the legal and regulatory landscape surrounding staking, various staking models, and how these regulations can impact the industry.

 

           

 

Understanding the Four Staking Models

Alison outlines four distinct staking models that exist within the blockchain space:

  1. Protocol staking: Users deposit ETH into a smart contract, run Ethereum software, and receive rewards directly from the protocol.
  2. Custodial staking: Users enter an agreement with a service provider to stake ETH using the provider’s infrastructure. The provider takes custody of the ETH.
  3. Delegated self-custodial Software as a Service (SaaS) staking: Users maintain control and ownership of their ETH while using professional software to stake. Custody of tokens is never relinquished.
  4. Smart contract-facilitated liquid staking: Users deposit ETH into a smart contract, which spins up a validator when it receives 32 ETH in total.

Staking is not an Investment Scheme

Alison emphasizes that staking should not be considered an investment scheme, as it is crucial for maintaining and securing blockchain networks. Validators provide technical services, not financial services. Thus, staking should not be viewed as an investment contract or security.

Staking as a Service Industry Principles

In 2019, POSA developed a set of Staking as a Service Industry Principles, which still hold relevance today:

  1. Use non-financial terminology when discussing staking.
  2. Focus on security and network participation.
  3. Do not provide guarantees on the amount of rewards earned.

Alison explains that these principles aim to help the industry provide a clear understanding of staking and its importance in blockchain networks.

Liquid Staking Tokens vs. Derivatives

A working group was formed to analyze liquid staking tokens (LSTs) under US law, concluding that LSTs for digital commodities should not be considered investment contracts, notes, or securities. They should also not be treated as swaps under commodity law. Alison stresses the importance of accurate terminology, advocating for using “liquid staking tokens” instead of the commonly misused term “liquid staking derivatives.”

Liquid Staking Principles

The working group also developed a set of liquid staking principles, which include:

  1. Using appropriate terminology to describe tokens (LSTs vs. LSDs).
  2. Focusing on increasing liquidity without sacrificing the importance of staking for security and network participation.
  3. Developing tools that enable direct staking with access to liquidity.
  4. Refraining from providing investment advice.

These principles aim to guide the industry in developing and offering liquid staking products without crossing regulatory boundaries.

Possible Regulatory Developments

Alison shares her thoughts on possible regulatory developments in the near future, such as a potential banking package that could include stablecoin and custody regulations. She also anticipates additional enforcement actions, although the specifics remain uncertain.

“I think there will be bills introduced in Congress. I think the likelihood of them passing is not likely in the coming months. But there will be some action from people trying to introduce sensible regulations.”

Alison Mangiero

Importance of Accurate Descriptions and Terminology

Alison concludes her talk with a call to the industry to use accurate descriptions and terminology when discussing staking and related activities. She believes that doing so will make engaging with regulators and lawmakers easier while explaining the importance of staking in blockchain networks.

“We should be cautious about the words that we use, the way that we’re describing the activities that we engage in, and also explain why it’s essential for the functioning of these networks.”

Alison Mangiero

Final Thoughts

Alison Mangiero of POSA highlights the importance of staking in the blockchain ecosystem and the need for a clear and accurate understanding of its role in maintaining network security. By following established industry principles and promoting accurate terminology, stakeholders can work together to create a favorable regulatory environment that fosters innovation and growth in the blockchain and staking sectors. As the industry evolves and regulatory landscapes change, education and open communication with regulators and lawmakers will be essential in ensuring that staking and related services are treated fairly and appropriately under existing and future regulations. For future conversations like this, check out our Staking Summit 2023.

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The Dawn of DeFi: The Hidden War for a Decentralized Future
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Attempted Theft of the World's Most Valuable Property, SEC Lawfare & The ETHgate Scandal

It is widely accepted that the media often spreads misinformation and hides any truth that challenge the establishments narratives. Well, this is one of those hidden truths...
 
Loans without Banks, Trades without Exchanges, Contracts without Lawyers. Peer to Peer Capital Markets disrupts traditional finance by removing middlemen and counter-party risk, enabling you to become your own bank by holding the keys to it all in your own privately held digital wallet.
 
To what lengths do you think the establishment would go to defend their control of the financial system? A system seemingly ripe with market manipulation, naked shorts, money laundering and regulatory capture.

The Myth of Open Source

For context, in the realm of open source, major corporations can engage in Intellectual Property theft by using open source projects to gain insights, technology, or legal protections without fully reciprocating to the community. Companies might contribute code to an open source project, only to later use that same code in commercial products, extending it with enhancements, essentially using open source as a low-cost R&D resource. Patents are crucial here, serving as a defense mechanism. Although open-source licenses cover copyrights, they don't extend to patents, meaning that companies holding patents can enforce legal protections against unauthorized commercial use, ensuring that any commercial application of their patented technology within open-source software requires proper licensing or recognition. This protection has historically led to the hyper-growth of industries like mobile phones and the internet, where patented technologies could be safely shared and built upon, promoting innovation and market expansion.
 

Validating Inventorship

In fields such as technology, pharmaceuticals, and manufacturing, patents are vital for safeguarding new inventions, with Nikola Tesla's extensive patent portfolio serving as a testament to his contributions to science.
 
However, Tesla's revolutionary inventions, like the Wardenclyffe Tower which aimed at providing free wireless energy, faced fierce opposition due to their potential to disrupt established control over energy markets. Financially sabotaged by investors like J.P. Morgan, legally challenged through "the war of currents" by Thomas Edison's promotion of the less efficient Direct Current system, and undermined by media smear campaigns, Tesla's work was systematically suppressed. After his death, the FBI's seizure of his documents further suggests efforts to control or conceal his ideas that could disrupt centralized energy distribution, illustrating how innovation can be stifled to maintain existing power structures.
 
Could this type of suppression still be happening today?
 

The Genesis of Decentralized Finance

Reggie Middleton first introduced Distributed Finance what would later become known as Decentralized Finance (DeFi), in 2013 when he invented and patented technologies under the title "Devices, systems, and methods for facilitating low trust and zero trust value transfers." This included groundbreaking concepts like programmable Smart Contracts, Swaps, Tokenized Assets, NFTs, Stable Coins, Digital Wallets, and even underpin Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs).
 
 
Called by many as "The Most Valuable Property in the World", his patents US11196566B2, US11895246B2, JP6813477B2, JP7204231B2, JP7533974B2, & JP7533983B2 have been cited over 138 times by major financial institutions, underscoring their foundational role in the blockchain industry.
 

His patents cover:

  • Trustless Peer-to-Peer Value Transfers: Systems for enabling decentralized and secure value transfers between parties without the need for intermediaries. Applicable to cryptocurrency transactions, DeFi platforms, and digital payment systems.
  • Decentralized Financial Systems (DeFi): Methods and devices that facilitate decentralized trading, lending, borrowing, and yield generation. Impacting decentralized exchanges (DEXs) like Uniswap, SushiSwap, and similar platforms.
  • Smart Contracts: Implementation of self-executing contracts on blockchain networks, used to automate agreements and enforce conditions without intermediaries. Essential for platforms such as Ethereum, Cardano, and other Layer-1 and Layer-2 blockchain protocols.
  • Tokenized Asset Trading: Methods for creating, transferring, and trading tokenized assets, including cryptocurrencies, non-fungible tokens (NFTs), and digital securities. Platforms like OpenSea, Rarible, and asset tokenization platforms may fall within the scope.
  • Cryptographic Security and Wallet Systems: Systems for securing digital assets using cryptographic methods, including cold storage, multi-signature wallets, and multi-party computation (MPC). Potential overlaps with services offered by companies like Coinbase, Kraken, Gemini, and institutional custody providers.
  • Decentralized Identity and Verification Systems: Technologies for managing and verifying digital identities on decentralized networks, including for KYC (Know Your Customer) purposes. Likely touching on identity solutions like Civic, BrightID, and Blockstack.
  • Blockchain-Based Voting and Governance: Systems for implementing decentralized voting, governance, and consensus mechanisms, foundational to DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organizations). Relevant to governance platforms like Aragon, Snapshot, and MakerDAO.
  • AI Economic Agentic Computing: First introduced by the VeADIR Platform refers to the application of autonomous agents in economic systems, where software entities can make decisions, negotiate, and execute transactions independently. These agents use artificial intelligence to analyze market data, predict trends, and optimize economic activities like trading, resource allocation, and supply chain management. Used by OpenAi, Claude Sonnet, Meta and xAI.

The societal value of these patents to disrupt traditional financial models and fintech business practises, by essentially removing the banks as middlemen, create significant economic incentives to suppress his work.
 

True Decentralization

Current Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs) often fall short of being truly decentralized due to various practical and structural limitations. Although DEXs leverage blockchain technology and smart contracts to enable trading without a central authority, aspects like governance, liquidity, and user interface can introduce centralization. Governance tokens might be concentrated in the hands of a few, influencing decision-making unevenly. The frontend, controlled by developers, represents a centralized point of control or potential failure. Liquidity pools can be dominated by a handful of large providers, leading to centralized liquidity dynamics. Some DEXs implement regulatory compliance like KYC/AML, which inherently involves centralized oversight. The use of layer-2 solutions for scalability might also undermine decentralization if not fully autonomous.
 
However, patents like US11196566B2 and US11895246B2 could pave the way for true decentralization by introducing innovations in blockchain interoperability and decentralized governance mechanisms. These patents potentially offer solutions for more evenly distributed control over exchange operations, enhancing the autonomy and distribution of decision-making, thus moving closer to genuine decentralization in the DEX ecosystem, which can be expanded to other industries like Healthcare, Supply Chain, or any other industry that trades value.
 

Who is Reggie Middleton?

Reggie Middleton, through his BoomBustBlog, became a notable figure in financial analysis, particularly for his early and accurate predictions regarding the collapses of Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns during the 2008 financial crisis. His blog was renowned for providing in-depth, contrarian insights into economic trends, investment opportunities, and corporate vulnerabilities. Reggie won the CNBC's stock draft consecutively for two years, and appeared on major financial news networks like CNBC, BBC and Bloomberg where he discussed market trends, his forecasts, and the implications of financial strategies adopted by major firms. His track record has undeniably positioned him as a significant voice in the financial commentary space.
 

Reggie's work gained public attention when he appeared on the Keiser Report and CNBC in 2014, premiering his innovations built on the Bitcoin blockchain called "Ultracoin", two years before Ethereum captured the crypto limelight.
 
 
His vision was to create sound markets for a financial ecosystem where loans could be issued without banks, trades executed without exchanges, and contracts enforced without lawyers, aiming to disintermediate traditional finance by removing the middleman that doesn't add value.
 

 
In 2014, Reggie pioneered a simple Apple trade using a Pure Bitcoin Wallet: The Ultracoin Client.
Ultracoin later renamed VERI short for “Veritaseum” meaning "of truth", was the
first to market in tokenizing precious metals, offering VeGold, VeSilver and even tokenized fiat currencies or so called "Stablecoins". Veritaseum also introduced VeRent creating yield through P2P lending, and the revolutionary VeADIR platform, an autonomous, blockchain-powered research platform that independently evaluates and acts on dynamic research in real-time, communicates in machine language, and operates by purchasing, analyzing, and distributing insights on various assets while allowing VERI token holders to access and trade this research.
 
In 2018 he created the worlds first Gold Denominated Blockchain Mortgage
with traditional written note, mortgage as well as a smart contract on a public blockchain, both of whom incorporate each other by reference. The transaction had traditional title insurance and the note was recorded with the county clerk. The mortgage was denominated in Veritaseum's VeGold product, a digital form of gold in bearer form, fully transferable and redeemable upon demand.
 
 
Merely a few examples of groundbreaking products offered by Veritaseum.
 

Coinbase's Challenge: The Patent Infringement Suit

Coinbase, a dominant force in the cryptocurrency exchange market, enlisted the services of Perkins Coie, one of the largest patent law firms, to contest the validity of Reggie Middleton's patents.
They launched an Inter Partes Review (IPR) at the Patent Trials and Appeals Board (PTAB), arguing that Middleton's patents lacked novelty. An overwhelming 85% of patents are invalidated through this process. However, Coinbase's challenge was denied along with the appeal, thereby upholding and strengthening the validity of Reggie's patents.
This IPR challenge came after Veritaseum sued both Coinbase and Circle USDC for $350 million each over patent infringement. Unfortunately, Reggie's patent attorney and close friend passed away during this suit, so the cases has been dismissed without prejudice, meaning they can be negotiated or the cases reopened at any time. This leaves Coinbase in a precarious position, especially if shareholders have not been properly informed of this risk.
 
This lawsuit details how Coinbase's infrastructure, specifically its Ethereum and Solana validator nodes, engage with client devices to facilitate transactions. Exhibit #3 meticulously outlines the patent's claims, detailing the roles of computing devices, the use of memory for key pair storage, network interfaces for transaction terms, and the generation and dissemination of transaction data records. It provides concrete examples such as the processing of NFT transactions on Ethereum and the management of transaction fees on Solana, supported by in-depth references to code and API interactions. Furthermore, the exhibit explains the verification of transactions through an external state, illustrating how Coinbase's technology aligns with the patent's principles for decentralized transaction processing without a central authority.
 

SEC's Intervention: A Turning Point

In 2019, with promising negotiations on the horizon with both the Jamaican and the Nigerian Stock Exchanges for digital asset platforms, Reggie's world was turned upside down.
 
The SEC accused Reggie of fraud, alleging he misled investors about the functionality of Veritaseum's VeADIR platform, which the SEC ordered to be shut down following a live demonstration. The SEC also made claims on the validity of Reggie's patent applications, which have since been approved by both the USPTO and the Japan Patent Office. Oddly enough, the SEC may actually infringe on these very patents through the disgorgement and storage of seized crypto tokens.
 
Despite Veritaseum's cooperation with the SEC over a two-year period, along with a detailed response addressing the SEC's allegations, and not one token holder claiming to be defrauded, these allegations still led to a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) that froze millions in assets, destroying the company's operations, and forcing a consent judgment "neither confirming or denying the allegations". The SEC would top it all off with a gag order that barred Reggie from publicly discussing the matter.
 
Keep in mind, the SEC is claiming jurisdiction by calling Utility Tokens "Digital Asset Securities" but recently SEC Commissioner @HesterPeirce stated:
 
"...by using imprecise language we've been able to suggest the token itself is a security, apart from that investment contract, which has implications for Secondary Sales, it has implications for who can list it...
 
We've fallen down on our duty as a regulator not to be precise. So, tucking into a footnote that yes we admit that now that the TOKEN ITSELF IS NOT A SECURITY, that is something we should have admitted long ago and then started wrestling with the difficult questions."
 
 
This calls into question if the SEC even had jurisdiction to bring forth this case to begin with. The Veri Community would later challenge the SEC's unproven allegations against Reggie with
a Dossier supporting the Vacating or Setting Aside of this case, and suggesting possible misconduct by the SEC.
 

Allegations of SEC Misconduct:

  • Misrepresentation of Facts: Assertions that the SEC deliberately mischaracterized the
    functionality of the VeADIR platform, along with the patents and their value, by labeling them as lacking novelty and part of fraudulent activities.
  • Misleading Evidence: The SEC's use of declarations from Patrick Doody and Roseann Daniello, which contained misleading information about the personal ownership of a Kraken account used to misappropriate funds. Doody would later correct his statement, but the SEC did not update the court with this new information, potentially misleading the judicial process.
  • Conflict of Interest: Doody's undisclosed financial interests in the digital asset space through Lily Pad Capital LLC could suggest a bias in his testimony, which was pivotal in obtaining the TRO.
  • Coercion and Intimidation: Witnesses like Lloyd Cupp and John Doe provided affidavits claiming coercion by SEC attorneys to alter their testimonies, pointing towards witness tampering and intimidation.

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Summary Articles of the Bar Complaint and RICO Dossier

 

Comparisons with the SEC Misconduct in the DEBT Box Case

The DEBT Box case shares a troubling parallel with the Veritaseum case. In both cases a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) freezing funds was issued using dubious evidence which suppressed the ability to defend themselves. This behavior was already admonished by five US Senators
in a letter to Commissioner Gary Gensler in which the SEC presented misleading claims in this now high-profile cryptocurrency case.
 
"Regardless of whether Commission staff deliberately misrepresented evidence or unknowingly presented false information, this case suggests other enforcement cases brought by the Commission may be deserving of scrutiny. It is difficult to maintain confidence that other cases are not predicated upon dubious evidence, obfuscations, or outright misrepresentations."
 
Given the similarities in alleged procedural misconduct between the cases, it raises systemic questions about the SEC’s litigation approach in cryptocurrency matters.
 
 
This parallel underscores a potential agency-wide issue that could involve either implicit biases against crypto companies or an explicit strategy to pursue aggressive, potentially misleading tactics in court.
 

Is The Fox Guarding the Hen House?

In a significant development, the Attorney Grievance Committee (AGC) has decided to forward a complaint against SEC attorney Jorge Tenreiro to the SEC's Office of General Counsel (OGC) for investigation. This controversial move suggests a potential conflict of interest, given that the OGC is part of the SEC, the very agency where Tenreiro was recently promoted to Chief Litigation Counsel. The complaint, filed by the Veri community, accuses Tenreiro of misconduct including alleged coercion, witness tampering, and misrepresentation during SEC investigations. The Veri Community argues that this decision undermines the integrity of the legal process, as the OGC's role is to provide legal advice and defend the SEC, not to independently investigate its own employees. This raises questions about the impartiality and transparency of the disciplinary process for attorneys, especially when it involves high-profile figures like Tenreiro.
 
"As noted in re Rowe, 80 N.Y.2d 336 (1992), the public’s confidence in the legal profession depends on transparent and impartial disciplinary processes. Delegating oversight to the SEC, where Mr. Tenreiro remains a senior official and where the OGC has a clear institutional stake, jeopardizes this confidence and risks the appearance of protectionism.”
 
The VeriDAO has submitted a response letter to the AGC along with creating a PDF generator
to help the estimated 100 complainants and anyone else interested in requesting the AGC to reconsider this action.
 

Legal and Judicial Trials

The legal battles would only continue for Reggie. The case of Hall v. Middleton, in which Hall, a 1% shareholder sued Reggie, raises concerns of judicial bias and procedural mishandling. In this case, Reggie was denied Due Process and barred from presenting crucial evidence or calling witnesses due to his former attorneys' "Office Failures" that missed deadlines to submit evidence without the knowledge of Reggie or the firm Brundidge & Stanger that outsourced his counsel as detailed in their affirmations.
 
"In my many years of practice it is a rare instance where I have witnessed an attorney intentionally not file critical documents as required by Court Order without the permission or knowledge of his client, who had an established and fully developed attorney client-relationship with said attorney, and then misrepresent that the requirements of the Court Order were being satisfied. This is one of those instances and I hope not to see another."
~ Carl Brundidge
The judge ruled that Reggie must:
  • Pay a $1M fine to his company Veritaseum Inc., in which he owns 99%
  • The plaintiff was awarded costs of $495k against Veritaseum Inc.
  • The Judge ordered Patents (filed before the creation of Veritaseum Inc.) to be assigned to the company without compensation.

Attorney's "Office Failures":

  • Sheridan England missed critical deadlines, resulting in the striking of exculpatory evidence. England’s inaction or inadequate defense exacerbated Middleton’s legal vulnerability, directly leading to adverse outcomes.

Judge Schecter’s Conduct:

  • Ignoring Exculpatory Evidence: Despite knowledge of its existence, Schecter struck Middleton’s post-trial memorandum.
  • Procedural Bias: The judge’s decisions systematically favored Hall, including allowing him to collect attorney fees from Middleton personally, contrary to the principles of derivative law.
  • Forced Patent Transfers: Schecter’s order to transfer patents to an underfunded entity (Veritaseum) which were court restrained by the same judge, rendering them defenseless against attacks and IP theft.
This ordeal was compounded when Reggie was held in Contempt for using personal funds (while Veritaseum’s funds were court-restrained) to successfully defend his patents against an IPR challenge by Coinbase in the PTAB of the USPTO in an attempt to invalidate these patents. The Forced Patent Expropriation to Veritaseum without compensation or the ability to defend them could be seen as coordinated as it benefited very large competitors seeking to avoid licensing fees or infringement claims, or possibly even IP Theft.

ETHgate: The Broader Conspiracy Allegations

Parallel to Middleton's struggles, "ETHgate" emerged, involving allegations by Ethereum co-creator @StevenNerayoff. Nerayoff claimed a government conspiracy aimed at controlling or monopolizing cryptocurrency development by targeting key figures. This narrative suggested that by attacking innovators (like Reggie Middleton as the Veri Community contends), the SEC might have indirectly cleared a path for Ethereum, which, despite its decentralized claim, benefited from a regulatory environment less scrutinized than its competition.
 
The term "ETHgate" encapsulates the belief that Ethereum's "Free Pass" from regulatory scrutiny might not just be due to its technological merits but also due to strategic regulatory maneuvers, where attacking smaller or less established DeFi projects could safeguard larger, more influential platforms like Ethereum.
 
Back in 2021, @JohnEDeaton1 from @CryptoLawUS explained XRP's side of Ethereum's "Free Pass". More recently, further SEC RICO Claims are insinuated in "RIGGED from the start" a documentary by @Fruition_News , along with posts by @KuwlShow and the XRParmy involving the SEC, Ethereum, a16z, and Consensys surrounding the Bill Hinman speech. Active FOIA requests by @EleanorTerrett seek to shed light on meetings between Hinman and Ethereum members.
 
Given the SEC protection of ETH and the high probability of Ethereum infringing on Reggie Middleton's patents as meticulously detailed in Exhibit #3 of the Coinbase case, is it ridiculous to believe Reggie Middleton could have been targeted?
 

 

Community Support: The Backbone of Resilience

Despite the SEC's narrative labeling them as "The Defrauded," the Veritaseum community rallied around Reggie.
 
                          SmartMetal with embedded NFT avalaible through VeriDAO.io
 
Financially devastated and with his funds frozen, Reggie faced foreclosure and was threatened with jail time after contempt charges for defending his patents using personal funds. In a remarkable show of support, the Veri Community rallied, raising an impressive $149,000 in less than two weeks to cover the fine while the case is under appeal.
 
They funded legal battles largely through donations and more recently with innovative means like NFT silver rounds called SmartMetal using Reggie's patented technologies, underscoring their belief in his vision. The first minted round was auctioned off for an astonishing $14,000 won by "M S"
 
"There is no better witness to the veracity of any defense than the alleged defrauded defending the alleged fraud at their own expense"
~ The Veri Community
This community support was not just financial but also moral, with efforts such as an Amicus Brief in the case against XRP, a No Action Letter (NAL) seeking clarity on secondary market sales of tokens, a Bar Complaint against the SEC's newly promoted Chief Litigation Counsel, and the @dao_veri's
#ProjectSunlight The SEC RICO Revelation.
 

A Call for a New Regulatory Paradigm

 
Reggie Middleton's saga is emblematic of the challenges faced by pioneers in the blockchain and DeFi arenas. His patents, now granted, underscore their foundational nature, yet the path to their recognition was marred by legal battles, suggesting a systemic issue where the regulatory framework might not fully comprehend or support emerging tech. His resilience, supported by an unwavering community and the validation of his intellectual property, underscores the need for a regulatory environment that fosters rather than stifles innovation. As blockchain technology continues to evolve, Reggie's story serves as a critical reference for balancing innovation with legal and ethical governance, ensuring that the future of finance remains open to all, not just those with the resources to navigate the legal maze.
 
For more information visit https://veridao.io/
 
 
I know what everyones question is, "HOW CAN I GET MY HANDS ON THE $VERI TOKEN BEFORE EVERYTHING GETS REVERSED AND RELEASED BACK TO THE COMMUNITY?" 
 
Your in luck: Mark is a trusted source, longtime Veri Vet that beta tested the VeADIR platform. Simply follow the thread below. I highly advise picking up a few, and tuck them away! This is the token that could literally FLIP BITCOIN $100k and beyond!
 
 

The information provided in this video, including but not limited to documents regarding legal matters, is for informational purposes only. It does not constitute legal (or any other) advice, and no warranties or representations are made regarding the accuracy, completeness, or fitness of the information for any specific purpose. VeriDAO and its operators do not act as attorneys or legal, financial or technical professionals or advisors and are not responsible for any actions taken or decisions made based on the content provided. Users should seek independent legal counsel for any legal advice or guidance. By watching this video, you agree that VeriDAO and its operators shall not be held liable for any damages or legal consequences arising from the use or misuse of the information contained herein.

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thedinarian@thedinarian
18 hours ago
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SEC Drops Dealer Rule Appeal

 The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has abandoned its appeal of a contentious dealer rule designed to classify digital asset operations as regulated securities dealers broadly.

  • A federal judge ruled that the SEC had exceeded its authority by potentially categorizing nearly any participant in buying and selling securities as a dealer.

  • This decision is part of a broader reset in the SEC's approach to digital assets under new leadership.

  • The agency’s move to drop the appeal, amid concerns that continued litigation could reduce Treasury market liquidity and increase taxpayer costs.

  • Additionally, the SEC recently sought to pause its enforcement actions against Binance, indicating its readiness to resolve disputes through alternative means.

  • Blockchain Association CEO welcomed the dismissal, expressing hope for more productive discussions between regulators and the crypto industry as the US embraces a friendlier regulatory framework for digital assets.

What’s next: With acting chairman Mark Uyeda overhauling senior staff and legal strategies, the SEC is shifting away from its historically adversarial stance, a policy long associated with former chairman Gary Gensler.

For builders and investors: The new approach encourages constructive conversations between regulators and industry players, potentially leading to clearer guidelines and a more predictable operating landscape for both builders and investors.

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thedinarian@thedinarian
18 hours ago
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Tether Teams Up With US Lawmakers on Stablecoin Rules

Tether is reportedly working with members of the US House Financial Services Committee, specifically Representatives Bryan Steil and French Hill, to shape federal stablecoin regulations.

  • This includes contributing to the STABLE Act introduced by both lawmakers in early February, as well as offering input on two additional stablecoin bills.

  • According to Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino, the company wants its perspective heard during the legislative process and is prepared to adapt to US rules.

  • The new rules may include requirements like monthly reserve audits and 1:1 collateral backing.

  • Tether’s involvement comes amid broader regulatory discussions, including meetings between crypto industry leaders and the SEC, and the push to bring stablecoins onshore.

  • Meanwhile, the Federal Reserve is warming to stablecoins as a means of preserving the US dollar’s global dominance but remains concerned about risks such as de-pegging events and market fragmentation.

What’s Next: Tether’s collaboration with lawmakers suggests that stablecoin regulations could soon take a more defined shape and may introduce stricter compliance measures, including mandatory audits and full collateral backing.

Why it Matters: If lawmakers strike the right balance, stablecoins could cement their role in global finance, benefiting both the crypto industry and the broader economy.

Our Take: If Tether and other stablecoin issuers adapt to US regulatory frameworks, it could bring legitimacy to the stablecoin sector, encourage institutional adoption, and integrate crypto more deeply into the traditional financial system.

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