The rise of crypto-assets and crypto-assets corporate finance transactions – like Initial Coin Offerings, Security Token Offerings, Initial Exchange Offerings, and respective variants – are disrupting the way companies raise funds. At the same time the sudden rise of crypto finance transactions has created unprecedented challenges for regulators, financial market authorities, corporate finance lawyers and professionals. Crypto-assets corporate finance transactions are essentially borderless, global and interconnected. Their borderless nature was the core inspiration of this work. This book, indeed, is an attempt to address to a comparative and functional analysis of crypto-assets corporate finance transactions. I believe it’s neutral, international, functional and short. It’s neutral because while it’s true that the variety of crypto-assets necessitates a case-by-case analysis, it’s unquestionable that some types and hybrid forms of crypto-assets fall within existing securities laws and regulations. Securities offerings, however, are highly regulated in most developed jurisdictions, while, by contrast, the rapid rise of these crypto-assets corporate finance transactions is very likely nothing else than a mere market response to overregulation. It has to be noted that: (i) regulations should be technologically neutral, and in order to become so, address the actors and not the products themselves; (ii) far too often (non-accredited, non-qualified, non-sophisticated) investors are denied the opportunity to invest in new and promising technologies and in new companies — all which undermine productive capital formation and economic growth; (iii) crypto finance transactions are part of a self-contained system and this unique context requires to carefully weigh competing goals – protecting investors (that can lead to a larger and healthier crypto finance environment) while promoting capital raising and economic liberty. This is why these crypto-assets should be treated as a new type of asset whose use – currently falling within existing regulations – should be governed by new and ad hoc regulations, above all in the securities field, in order not to disregard their unique operational and technological features. Existing securities rules and best practices are frequently nonsensical or even counterproductive in the context of many crypto finance transactions. Regulation is certainly necessary to allow crypto-assets and crypto- assets corporate finance transactions to achieve their potential, but the regulatory system should have an appropriate balance and a high degree of clarity. I believe, however, optimal regulatory structures will emerge and converge over time. The final part of the book, then, sketches some proposals for regulators – based on a weighted approach – that, if adopted, would enhance legal certainty and seek to balance support for innovation and investor protection. It’s international because it contains summary information on the securities law regimes in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, EU / EAA (Austria, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxemburg, Netherlands, Norway, United Kingdom), Hong Kong, India, Israel, Japan, Nigeria, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, United States, including the principal prospectus exemptions and private placements rules in each jurisdiction. Securities offerings are highly regulated and significant civil and criminal penalties can be incurred as a result of offerings which are not authorized by the relevant authorities or compliant with the applicable securities regime. There are good reasons why similar measures have arisen in the wider corporate world over time – to ensure a sustainable ecosystem with resources directed at better quality projects, to ensure that bad actors are (to the extent possible) eliminated, and to ensure that legal and professional risks are mitigated by a better balance between the interests of all stakeholders. This is why crypto-assets corporate finance transactions falling within existing securities laws and regulations can’t be conducted assuming the law doesn’t exist – in the meantime specific regulations arise. Also, while the lack of widely accepted global standards has led to a great deal of regulatory arbitrage, as crypto-assets issuers shop for jurisdictions with the lightest touch (or no touch), I believe they should not attempt to flee from regulation. By contrast, they should talk with financial market authorities. It’s functional because with regard to crypto-assets with real intrinsic usage (non- speculative crypto-assets) this book discusses how a proactive self-regulation, ethical human behaviors, rigorous due diligence, improved governance, disclosure, investors protection and accountability measures could be applied to lead to better quality Initial Coin Offerings, a more sustainable fundraising environment for all the parties involved and mitigate risks due to regulatory uncertainty. At the same I propose (and encourage the adoption of) a Corporate Crypto Conduct Code for businesses in this space. It’s short because my project in writing this book is to give a quick framework for understanding the most important securities law regimes. This book is not intended to be an exhaustive guide to the regulation of crypto-assets corporate finance transaction globally or in any of the included jurisdictions. Instead, for each jurisdiction, I have endeavored to provide a sufficient overview for the reader to understand the current legal and regulatory environment. I hope that it remains short enough to attract the readers I would like to reach: (i) my colleagues in international business and corporate law and related legal fields (who can start from these frameworks to make a more detailed analysis of the securities laws in the core jurisdictions summarized in this book); (ii) regulators and lawmakers (with the hope they will find this book a helpful guide to develop new strategies, policies and regulations); (iii) crypto-assets issuers (with the hope they understand the importance of being compliant with the law – even if and when, on the spot, it seems economically irrational – and the reasons why the current measures have arisen in the wider corporate world over time).

The emergence of crypto assets has required taxation authorities worldwide to develop unprecedented policies and compelled tax lawyers to apply existing laws in new ways. This book – the only one to focus solely on the taxation of crypto assets – provides a detailed country-by-country analysis of how the tax law of thirty-nine countries may apply to this rapidly developing area, including different use cases and compliance and documentation requirements. Following an overview of the technology and key characteristics of crypto assets, as well as the key tax concepts and types of taxes that could apply to them, leading practitioners in each particular jurisdiction summarize the relevant tax law in that country. Fully explained are such aspects of crypto assets as the following and how they are interrelated: sales; exchanges; receipt as remuneration; forks; airdrops; mining; staking; initial coin offerings; security token offerings; and initial exchange offerings. Contributors describe how each jurisdiction applies income and capital gains taxation, value-added tax and sales tax, withholding taxes, transfer taxes, and gift, inheritance, estate and wealth taxes in the context of crypto assets. Reporting requirements and enforcement are also covered. Tax law, as it applies to crypto assets, is new and continues to evolve. This book will be welcomed as the premier resource for tax practitioners, government officials, advisors, investors, issuers, users of crypto assets, and taxation academics who are seeking informed awareness of the policy choices countries make in dealing with the taxation of this new technology. Tax lawyers dealing with crypto assets will have comprehensive practical guidance on how to comply with the tax laws of multiple jurisdictions.

Crypto-Finance, Law and Regulation investigates whether crypto-finance will cause a paradigm shift in regulation from a centralised model to a model based on distributed consensus. This book explores the emergence of a decentralised and disintermediated crypto-market and investigates the way in which it can transform the financial markets. It examines three components of the financial market – technology, finance, and the law – and shows how their interrelationship dictates the structure of a crypto-market. It focuses on regulators’ enforcement policies and their jurisdiction over crypto-finance operators and participants. The book also discusses the latest developments in crypto-finance, and the advantages and disadvantages of crypto-currency as an alternative payment product. It also investigates how such a decentralised crypto-finance system can provide access to finance, promote a shared economy, and allow access to justice. By exploring the law, regulation and governance of crypto-finance from a national, regional and global viewpoint, the book provides a fascinating and comprehensive overview of this important topic and will appeal to students, scholars and practitioners interested in regulation, finance and the law.

An introduction to cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology; a guide for practitioners and students. Bitcoin and blockchain enable the ownership of virtual property without the need for a central authority. Additionally, Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies make up an entirely new class of assets that have the potential for fundamental change in the current financial system. This book offers an introduction to cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology from the perspective of monetary economics.

The rapid advancement in encryption and network computing gave birth to new tools and products that have influenced the local and global economy alike. One recent and notable example is the emergence of virtual currencies, also known as cryptocurrencies or digital currencies. Virtual currencies, such as Bitcoin, introduced a fundamental transformation that affected the way goods, services, and assets are exchanged. Virtual currencies are experiencing an increasing popularity in the financial markets and in portfolio management as can be classified as financial asset or commodities on a scale from pure medium of exchange advantages to pure store of value advantages. As a result of its distributed ledgers based on blockchain, cryptocurrencies offer some unique advantages to the economy, investors, and consumers, but also pose considerable risks to users and challenges for regulators when fitting the new technology into the old legal framework. Bitcoin for example may be useful in risk management and ideal for risk-averse investors in anticipation of negative shocks to the market. The core objective of this proposed book is to provide a comprehensive discussion on the important issues related to cryptocurrencies ranging from pricing, financial, legal to technological aspects.

Handbook of Blockchain, Digital Finance, and Inclusion, Volume 1: Cryptocurrency, FinTech, InsurTech, and Regulation explores recent advances in digital banking and cryptocurrency, emphasizing mobile technology and evolving uses of cryptocurrencies as financial assets. Contributors go beyond summaries of standard models to describe new banking business models that will be sustainable and will likely dictate the future of finance. The volume not only emphasizes the financial opportunities made possible by digital banking, such as financial inclusion and impact investing, but it also looks at engineering theories and developments that encourage innovation. Its ability to illuminate present potential and future possibilities make it a unique contribution to the literature. - Explores recent advances in digital banking and cryptocurrency, emphasizing mobile technology and evolving uses of cryptocurrencies as financial assets - Explains the practical consequences of both technologies and economics to readers who want to learn about subjects related to their specialties - Encompasses alternative finance, financial inclusion, impact investing, decentralized consensus ledger and applied cryptography - Provides the only advanced methodical summary of these subjects available today

This report offers an analytical framework that allows for more systemic assessments of distributed ledger technology (DLT) and its applications. It examines the evolution and typology of the emergent technology, its existing and projected applications, and regulatory and policy issues that they entail. This report highlights the trends, concerns, and potential opportunities of DLTs, especially for Asian markets. It also identifies the benefits and risks to using DLT and offers a functional and proportional approach to these issues.