An Introduction to Cryptocurrency and Blockchain, and the Legal Issues Surrounding Them

This 1-hour CLE will explain, in user-friendly terms, what cryptocurrency is, how it works, and the legal and regulatory issues surrounding its use. Norton Rose Fulbright attorneys Sue Ross and Kathleen Scott will describe the characteristics of cryptocurrencies, recent developments in the area, as well as new laws and recent court and regulatory actions.  

The session also explains and discusses the possible uses of the blockchain/distributed ledger technology (DLT) beyond recording virtual currency transactions, recent “real world” uses, and the possible legal and regulatory issues.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the basic nature of cryptocurrency and blockchain, including characteristics that may or may not make it a good fit for a proposed project
2. Learn about some recent developments and real-world use cases and issues, and cybersecurity issues that have occurred
3. Review recent state, federal, and international legal and regulatory issues, including those raised by the New York Department of Financial Services, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, the Internal Revenue Service, and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network