Insights < BACK TO ALL INSIGHTS
From Paper to Blockchain: How Tokenized Collateral Could Transform Finance
FEATURED
July 1, 2026
From Paper to Blockchain: How Tokenized Collateral Could Transform Finance
By: John Mikuta
Our financial system is on the verge of a groundbreaking transformation that could rival the shift from film to digital photography. Just as smartphones made it instantaneous to capture and share pictures, blockchain-based tokenization of traditional assets could make financial transactions just as seamless. Even though we are now over a quarter of the way through the 21st century, today’s financial infrastructure hasn’t caught up with the times. Our financial system still revolves around antiquated 19th- and 20th-century practices, such as paper records and batch processing. Settlement cycles often take days, which can lead to operational delays and counterparty risk. Tokenization changes this. By representing real-world assets as tokens on a digital blockchain, collateral can move and settle in real…
What are you looking for?
Ready, Set, Go: More States Adopt Privacy Laws
June 17, 2026
Ready, Set, Go: More States Adopt Privacy Laws
By: Nicole Kardell
Note the below chart was updated on June 17, 2026 to reflect recent developments. The number of U.S. states that have adopted privacy laws grows regularly. Fortunately, there seems to be quite a bit of crossover, at least when it comes to thresholds that companies must meet in order to trigger compliance requirements. We provide below a chart that summarizes these thresholds by state, including…
I Predict the FTC and Class Action Plaintiffs May Have a Problem with Prediction Market Influencers
June 11, 2026
I Predict the FTC and Class Action Plaintiffs May Have a Problem with Prediction Market Influencers
By: Michelle Cohen
Prediction markets are the hottest topic in gaming right now. Industry leaders Kalshi and Polymarket have provided substantial fodder for debates at the summer gaming conferences, in the gaming trade press, and in mainstream media. Most of that discussion focuses on state versus federal regulation, an issue that the U.S. Supreme Court will likely need to resolve. In the interim, as they promote their platforms…
INITIAL EXCHANGE OFFERING: THE NEW PARADIGM FOR CRYTPO CAPITAL?
March 18, 2019
INITIAL EXCHANGE OFFERING: THE NEW PARADIGM FOR CRYTPO CAPITAL?
By: George Calhoun
Crypto exchange Bittrex made news this week when it announced its first initial exchange offering (IEO), which it was to host through its Malta-based affiliate Bittrex International. Bittrex planned to offer its registered members the opportunity to buy RAID’s XRD token. RAID is an international gaming data blockchain project, with the goal to create a decentralized game data ecosystem where data can be freely exchanged…
Don’t Believe Me Just Watch: Choose Profits over Privacy and the FTC may Funk You Up
March 14, 2019
Don’t Believe Me Just Watch: Choose Profits over Privacy and the FTC may Funk You Up
By: Nicole Kardell
An app for children–wee ones even–to publicize videos of themselves jamming to their favorite tunes. An app that, by default, allows its users to communicate directly with any other users, including wee ones. An app that provides its users a list of other users within a 50-mile radius who they can follow or contact directly (feature removed in 2016). What could pervert-ibly go wrong? It…
UPDATE – NOT SO FAST INDEED: DISTRICT COURT BALKS AT SEC’S BLANKET CHARACTERIZATION OF TOKENS AS SECURITIES BUT THEN RECONSIDERS RULING
February 15, 2019
UPDATE – NOT SO FAST INDEED: DISTRICT COURT BALKS AT SEC’S BLANKET CHARACTERIZATION OF TOKENS AS SECURITIES BUT THEN RECONSIDERS RULING
By: George Calhoun
An issue of major importance to cryptocurrency and digital token markets has been whether tokens were all to be considered securities under U.S. law. The SEC’s frequent admonishments that it would consider ICOs to be securities offerings has caused a dramatic slowdown in the US ICO market. In one of the first cases to test the SEC’s broad definition, the United States District Court for…
Passage of the 2018 Farm Bill: America’s Amber Waves of Grain Turn Green. What Does It Mean For CBD Oil Products and Advertising?
December 21, 2018
Passage of the 2018 Farm Bill: America’s Amber Waves of Grain Turn Green. What Does It Mean For CBD Oil Products and Advertising?
By: Nicole Kardell
Much excitement surrounds the 2018 Farm Bill – the Agricultural Improvement Act of 2018 – which President Trump recently signed into law. The hubbub is all about hemp. The new law removes hemp from the Controlled Substances Act and opens markets across the fifty states to hemp and its many derivatives. Farmers and product manufactures are no longer hogtied by an antiquated prohibition from the…
Not So Fast: District Court Balks at SEC’s Blanket Characterization of Tokens as Securities
November 28, 2018
Not So Fast: District Court Balks at SEC’s Blanket Characterization of Tokens as Securities
By: George Calhoun
An issue of major importance to cryptocurrency and digital token markets has been whether tokens were all to be considered securities under U.S. law. The SEC’s frequent admonishments that it would consider ICOs to be securities offerings has caused a dramatic slowdown in the U.S. ICO market. In one of the first cases to test the SEC’s broad definition, the United States District Court for…
