We were proud to drive the debate forward on the regulation of distributed ledger technology (DLT) in the European Union and further afield during the European Crowdfunding Network’s 9th Crowdfunding Convention. In particular, we were delighted to lead the discussion on December 16, 2020 on “MiCA: A new horizon for crypto-assets- what does it offer to the crowdfunding industry”.

Recordings

To rewatch the keynote of Dentons’ Michael Huertas and the debate amongst leading experts in the field please click here. 

To access further recordings please refer to the following links from the European Crowdfunding Network: 

• Recording of Day 1 Trends: The European Crowdfunding Industry – where do we stand and where are we going?” is available here
• Recording of Day 3: ECSP: From Brussels to national implementation can the industry help “harmonization to thrive?” is available here

Thought Leadership

To learn more about how Dentons can help existing and new market participants involved in the crowdfunding sector please visit our focus page here. For an overview of key changes and opportunities stemming from the EU’s European Crowdfunding Service Providers Regulation and Directive please see our recent Thought Leadership available here and here.

Meet MiCA

This Background Briefing takes a deep dive into the EU's proposal for a Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation. In addition to an overview of MiCA, the Briefing takes a closer look at the EU's Blockchain and distributed ledger technology market infrastructure with a view of helping businesses better understand and forward plan for the proposed changes.

The “Quick Take” Client Alert summarizes the most important changes in a quick and easy to digest format and readers are encouraged to consult the Background Briefing and its Appendix for a detailed analysis.

The Appendix shows what changes have been made to the substantive text in the most recent version of the MiCA Regulation proposal.

• Background Briefing - Download the full brochure
• Quick Take: Blockchain has been transformative and MiCA marks the Big Bang in regulation in the EU
• Appendix
• 1st Alert in our series of deep dives on the EU’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA)
• 2nd Alert in our deep dives on DORA

Click here to access more related Thought Leadership.

Dentons Blockchain Capital Markets and Distributed Ledger Technology Capabilities

The Dentons’ Capital Markets practice has been active from the beginning, when Blockchain and Distributed Ledger Technology in general first became a topic for discussion within the finance industry. Our team on the ground and cross-border specialists can offer a comprehensive in-depth analysis on Blockchain and DLT use cases and business processes in all relevant jurisdictions around the world. This not only includes understanding of the technological difference between Blockchain, Ethereum, IOTA etc. or the custody wallet technology, but also their programming capability and advanced IT skills, which enable our legal experts to understand the industry and projects, and provide corresponding and comprehensive advice. In particular, we actively support clients with the following workstreams: 

• Tokenization of existing securities; 
• Issuance and distribution of crypto-assets including, initial coin offerings (ICOs), securities token offerings (STOs) and token generating events (TGEs); 
• Crypto custody set-up and related regulatory matters; 
• Assistance with anti-money laundering and financial crime prevention frameworks; 
• Digital onboarding channel support, including in the context of digital ID and authentication systems; 
• Data protection and overall compliance with regard to the issuance and distribution of crypto assets and general set-up of business processes on DLT; 
• Taxation analysis and structuring; and 
• Intellectual property review and counseling surrounding blockchain technology advancements.