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U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington, D.C.

Policy

Ico

Sparkster Settles With SEC, Agrees to Pay Back $35M to ‘Harmed Investors’ of 2018 ICO

Crypto influencer Ian Balina, who was paid to promote the SPRK, is facing his own charges in connection to the ICO.

By Cheyenne Ligon

Sep 19, 2022 at 7:59 p.m. UTC

Sep 19, 2022

ICOSECLawsuit

CDCROP: Scales of Justice (Shutterstock)

Business

Ico

ICO Promoter Ian Balina Charged With Violating Federal Securities Laws

The SEC says Balina failed to disclose his compensation for his promotion of SPRK tokens in 2018.

By Cheyenne Ligon

Sep 19, 2022 at 4:20 p.m. UTC

Sep 19, 2022

ICOSECCrimeLawsuit

IEO and IDOs (Unsplash modified by CoinDesk)

Crypto Explainer+

Learn

What Is an IEO or IDO in Crypto?

In traditional finance, a company might launch an IPO to raise capital, but in the decentralized world of crypto, how can projects fundraise for new token launches? Meet initial exchange offerings.

By Robert Stevens

Sep 2, 2022 at 8:26 p.m. UTC

Sep 2, 2022

Intermediate

LearnIntermediateInvestingCrypto ExchangeICO

CDCROP: South Korea Flag (Jacek Malipan/EyeEm/Getty)

Policy

Regulations

South Korea Must Reverse Ineffective Ban on Crypto ICOs, Central Bank Says

The Bank of Korea says companies like stablecoin issuer Terra were able to circumvent the ban and sell digital tokens to locals by setting up corporations overseas.

By Sandali Handagama

Aug 30, 2022 at 11:10 a.m. UTC

Aug 30, 2022

regulationsSouth KoreaICOBank of Korea

CDCROP: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission seal

Policy

Sec

SEC Files Complaint Against Dragonchain for Unregistered Initial Coin Offering

The complaint alleges the blockchain startup failed to register more than $16 million in crypto asset securities.

By Elizabeth Napolitano

Aug 16, 2022 at 8:12 p.m. UTC

Aug 16, 2022

SECICOSecuritiesRegulation

Business

Ico

Titanium Blockchain CEO Pleads Guilty in $21M Securities Fraud Case

Michael Stollery admitted to carrying out a fraudulent initial coin offering in 2018.

By Cam Thompson

Jul 25, 2022 at 9:02 p.m. UTC

Jul 25, 2022

ICOFraudSEC

Tech

Scams

ICO-Funded Project Sparkster Converts $22M in Ether to USDC After 3 Years, No Product

Sparkster promised investors a “no-code” software-creation platform using $30 million in funds raised from investors in 2018.

By Shaurya Malwa

May 23, 2022 at 12:16 p.m. UTC

May 23, 2022

ScamsEtherICO

Business

Fraud

SEC Charges Founder of Crypto Startup Crowd Machine With Fraud

Australian Craig Sproule is accused of misleading investors about how he was going to use the proceeds of a $41 million initial coin offering back in 2018.

By Michael Bellusci

Jan 6, 2022 at 11:04 p.m. UTC

Jan 6, 2022

FraudSECICOICO Fraud