Jul 16, 2019

SEC Commissioner: We need disclosure rules for token offerings

Fortune's Jeff Roberts (L) and SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce (R). Photo: Stuart Isett/FORTUNE Brainstorm Tech

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce advocated for a safe harbor approach to cryptocurrencies and digital tokens, while speaking on Tuesday at Fortune's Brainstorm Tech conference in Aspen, Colo. Such a move would effectively permit offerings so long as issuers complied with set disclosure requirements.

Why it matters: The crypto industry has long struggled with a lack of regulatory clarity, often taking guesses as to how it can apply current laws. Thus far, the SEC has mostly expressed its views via one-off enforcement actions.

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Dion Rabouin

Facebook spoils the cryptocurrency party

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

Thanks to Facebook entering the space, the grown-ups have come in to turn on the lights and throw cold water on the cryptocurrency party.

The big picture: Facebook's dive into cryptocurrency with its Libra project has put digital payments squarely in the bullseye of government regulators, just as Bitcoin and other cryptos had started to rebound in value.

Go deeperJul 16, 2019

Ina Fried, Scott Rosenberg

The end of tech's laissez-faire era

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

This week's series of big government moves against big tech platforms dropped a curtain on the era of hands-off regulatory policy that shaped the firms.

Why it matters: A generation of firms led by Google and Facebook that grew rich and powerful while the Feds stayed out of their way must now adjust to government action as a way of life. Meanwhile, legislators and regulators will have to figure out how to protect the public while preserving the industry's vitality and creativity.

Go deeperJul 25, 2019

Kendall Baker

The NCAA's "Decade of Realignment," revisited

Illustration: Lazaro Gamio/Axios

UConn recently announced that it's leaving the American Athletic Conference to rejoin the Big East (in all sports besides football) — a fitting full-circle moment to what was a "Decade of Realignment" in college sports.

Rewind: In 2010, TV money was exploding, and universities were suddenly willing to abandon traditions and extinguish rivalries in the name of revenue.

Go deeperJul 29, 2019 - Sports