On Nov. 26, 2024, in what has been deemed a win for open-source technology, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit reversed the district court’s ruling in Van Loon v. United States Dep’t of the Treasury, holding that OFAC overstepped its authority under IEEPA when it sanctioned Tornado Cash in 2022.
With new rules under Regulation (EU) 2023/1114 on Markets in Crypto-Assets (Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation – MiCA), virtual asset service providers operating in Europe are looking for favorable jurisdictions to establish their EU operations and the opportunity to passport their MiCA license in all EU Member States.
The analysis of the national transitional regimes plays
On Oct. 11, 2022, the U.S. Treasury Department announced that cryptocurrency exchange Bittrex Inc. had agreed to settle $53 million total in fines over allegations it violated sanctions and anti-money-laundering laws. The fines come after the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) conducted parallel investigations into Bittrex’s activities.