Continuum’s SEC/CFTC solution for blockchain categories
Continuum Market is focused on binary data points applied to all blockchain brands. It either is, or it isn’t.
Our thesis is that the blockchain products we see today are all data companies and to be compliant for US users, they need to prove their data management practices and safeguards. Regardless of their commodity/security/other categorization.
Technologists know the 1’s and 0’s can do amazing things and with the “proof of receipt” blockchain offers to transactions, this technology can be applied to nearly every market sector.
By evaluating each brand against a standardized set of questions, we uncover the #DataPoints that reveal what categories apply to their products.
Regulation can’t stop innovation but it can make adoption quite difficult for the brand’s leadership teams. Continuum aims to work with the regulatory groups and provide clarity of what each blockchain product impacts via their utility.
United States Regulatory Stakeholders: Investopedia Definitions
OFAC: The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) is a department of the U.S. Treasury that is charged with enforcing economic and trade sanctions imposed by the U.S. against countries and groups of individuals. Sanctions have been imposed on those involved in foreign aggression, terrorist activities, and narcotics sales, among other acts.
https://sanctionssearch.ofac.treas.gov/
FinCEN: The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) is a government bureau that maintains a network whose goal is to prevent and punish criminals and criminal networks that participate in money laundering and other financial crimes. FinCEN, administered by the U.S. Department of the Treasury, operates domestically and internationally, and it consists of three major players—law-enforcement agencies, the regulatory community, and the financial-services community.
SEC: Securities Exchange Commission - Regulates Public Sale of Securities
CFTC: Commodities Futures Trading Commission - regulates the derivatives markets, including futures contracts, options, and swaps
OCC: Office of the Comptroller of Currency - oversees the execution of laws relating to national banks.
OCC: Options Clearing Corporation (OCC) is an organization that acts as both the issuer and guarantor for options and futures contracts. The largest equity derivatives clearing organization in the world, it operates under the jurisdiction of the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
NYSE: The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) is a stock exchange located in New York City that is the largest equities-based exchange in the world, based on the total market capitalization of its listed securities. Formerly run as a private organization, the NYSE became a public entity on March 8, 2006, following the acquisition of electronic trading exchange Archipelago.1 In 2007, a merger with Euronext—the largest stock exchange in Europe—led to the creation of NYSE Euronext, which was later acquired by Intercontinental Exchange, Inc. (ICE), the current parent of the New York Stock Exchange.2
NASDAQ: Nasdaq is a global electronic marketplace for buying and selling securities. Its name was originally an acronym for "National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations"—Nasdaq started as a subsidiary of the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), now known as the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). Nasdaq was launched after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) urged NASD to automate the market for securities not listed on an exchange. The result was the first electronic trading system. Nasdaq opened for business on Feb. 8, 1971.
CME: The Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME), colloquially known as the Chicago Merc, is an organized exchange for the trading of futures and options. The CME trades futures, and in most cases options, in the sectors of agriculture, energy, stock indices, foreign exchange, interest rates, metals, real estate, and even weather.
NASD: The National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD) was a self-regulatory organization of the securities industry and a predecessor of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
FINRA: The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is an independent, nongovernmental organization that writes and enforces the rules governing registered brokers and broker-dealer firms in the United States.
NFA: The National Futures Association (NFA) is an independent self-regulatory organization for the U.S. futures and derivatives markets.
FSOC: The Financial Stability Oversight Council (FSOC) was established in 2010 with the passage of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The FSOC is responsible for monitoring any risks to the US financial sector associated with large banks or financial holding companies that helped to derail the economy during the Great Recession.
HFWG: Hedge Fund Working Group (HFWG) is a committee to bring forth the concerns of Hedge Funds. Hedge funds are actively managed investment pools whose managers use a wide range of strategies, often including buying with borrowed money and trading esoteric assets, in an effort to beat average investment returns for their clients. They are considered risky alternative investment choices. Hedge funds require a high minimum investment or net worth, excluding all but wealthy clients.
CFRC: Climate-related Financial Risk Committee (CFRC) bringing forth the concerns of HR 3571 Introduced in House (05/28/2021) This bill addresses climate change risk and its potential impact on the financial system. The Federal Reserve Board must develop financial risk analyses relating to climate change for specified large nonbank financial companies and bank holding companies.
OFR: The Office of Financial Research (OFR) is an independent bureau within the United States Department of the Treasury that was established by the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, whose passage in 2010 was a legislative response to the financial crisis of 2007–08 and the subsequent Great Recession.
US Treasury: The U.S. Treasury, created in 1789, is the government department responsible for issuing all Treasury bonds, notes, and bills.1 Among the government departments operating under the U.S. Treasury umbrella are the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the U.S. Mint, the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, and the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau. Key functions of the U.S. Treasury include printing bills, postage, and Federal Reserve notes, minting coins, collecting taxes, enforcing tax laws, managing all government accounts and debt issues, and overseeing U.S. banks in cooperation with the Federal Reserve.3 The secretary of the Treasury is responsible for international monetary and financial policy, including foreign exchange intervention. Issuer of T-Bills.
Janet L. Yellen: Secretary of the Treasury (Chairperson of the Council)
FRB: Federal Reserve Board, also known as “The FED”. The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, also known as the Federal Reserve Board (FRB), is the governing body of the Federal Reserve System. The FRB was established by the Banking Act of 1935.1 The members are statutorily tasked with giving a “fair representation of the financial, agricultural, industrial, and commercial interests and geographical divisions of the country.”
Jerome H. Powell: Chair, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Continuum Categories Questionnaire:
Are you sharing profits? A Yes to this question implies Security offering, blockchain brands need to clearly define utility
Is your product available to the general public? Public Sale - Available to the public for purchase is not the same as a reward economy for users, blockchain brands need to clearly define utility
Are you trying to be a bank?
Are you offering Lending?
Are you offering Yield products/staking rewards?
Can your price be negotiated?
What country governs your products?
What are your Commodity Correlations?
Do you describe your brand as an Initial Public Offering?
Do you describe your brand as a Security?
Do you describe your brand as a Commodity?
Do you describe your brand as an In-Game Currency?
Do you describe your brand as Something New outside current regulations?
Does your product require special licenses like Series 7 or Broker/Dealer?
What is it?
How do people use it?
How do you make money?
What is your annual revenue?
What are your assets under management?
What is the amount of your Daily Active Users?
What is the utility of your blockchain product?
What is your blockchain use case?
What is your Target Audience?
How do you interact with US Consumers?
When do Consumers sell your product?
Does your product sale trigger a Taxable Event?
What are your measures against SECOPS/Rug Pull Security Issues?
How is your product created/mined/minted?
When have you last Audited your Smart Contracts?
When have you last Audited your NFT Metadata?
When have you last Audited your Metaverse Metadata?
What are you disrupting?
Describe your Technology
Describe your Team
Describe your Intentions
Describe your Public Statement to the World
Describe your Tokenomics
Describe your Participatory/Reward Economy
Describe your Cross-Chain integrations
Describe your Payment Gateway integrations
Describe your products’ Market Behavior
Describe your Job Creations in US & abroad
Where can we find your Credibility Links?
Where can we find your Education Links?
Where will you Announce your Accomplishments?
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Want to learn more? Contact Continuum Market! info@continuum.market
