Initial Coin Offerings Alerts From Regulators

Initial Coin Offerings are very risky for consumers as they are highly speculative in nature, and firms should consider if their ICOs require regulation – these are the key themes from recent ICO-related alerts issued by the Central Bank of Ireland, ESMA, the Financial Conduct Authority and IOSCO.

Initial Coin Offerings (ICOs), where companies raise funds from the public by issuing "tokens" or "coins" which can be exchanged for currency (usually virtual currency, such as Bitcoin) have been the subject of recent alerts from the European Securities and Markets Authority, the Central Bank of Ireland, the Financial Conduct Authority, and the International Organization of Securities Commissions.