More and more individuals and families have significant cryptocurrency investments and are looking to donate them as part of their charitable giving. Episode 12 of our Withers talks: cryptocurrency podcast, ‘Cryptocurrency and charitable giving,’ focuses on the interplay between cryptocurrencies and philanthropy.  Podcast host, Charles Kolstad, is joined by Paul Roy, of counsel in Withers’ New Haven, Greenwich and New York offices, who focuses on US domestic and international tax and philanthropy, to discuss considerations for investors looking to donate cryptocurrencies to charitable causes.

You may have wondered, is it even possible to make gifts of cryptocurrencies? In this episode, our speakers affirm this question at the outset and explore related top of mind questions. What are some of the considerations for individuals and families looking to incorporate charitable giving of cryptocurrencies into their estate plan? With anonymity being one of the tenets of cryptocurrencies, do charitable organizations need to disclose the donor’s information to the IRS? If you’ve have held crypto for a long time, are there certain charities in particular you should focus on for donations? Listen now to hear their answers and more. We hope you enjoy this episode.

We’ve talked about NFTs in previous episodes, including in episode 6 on NFTs and art and episode 7 on investing in NFTs from an Asia perspective.  This episode of the Withers talks: cryptocurrency podcast, ‘NFTs and digital-only fashion,’ focuses on the exciting area of NFTs and blockchain in the world of fashion.  In this episode, podcast host Charles Kolstad is joined by Gina Bibby, partner on Withers’ corporate team in Los Angeles and head of the law firm’s global fashion tech practice, to discuss how fashion-related NFTs started, continue to grow and shape the fashion industry and beyond, and what lies in the future for NFTs and digital-only fashion.

Instagram celebrities and the gaming industry inspired the birth of digital-only fashion houses that design specifically for people and characters in the digital world, or metaverse, explains Gina.  These trailblazing fashion brands saw opportunity for customers to purchase digital-only garments for personal use in cyberspace, including for themselves and characters in gaming, and now it is a growing movement in the fashion space.  In 2019, the monetization of digital-only fashion went next level when a fashion house put a digital dress on the blockchain as an NFT instead of selling it direct to consumers. 

 Listen as Gina and Charles discuss how NFTs and blockchain in fashion offer appealing characteristics amid the priorities of sustainability and transparency in fashion and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on fashion. Gina explains the opportunities, as well as the issues and challenges, that digital-only fashion can create, and shares her view of the future of this space. We hope you enjoy the episode.

You can read more on NFTs and digital-only fashion in Gina's recent article, 'NFTs: is art mimicking fashion?'

Our tenth episode of the Withers talks: cryptocurrency podcast, ‘Transatlantic perspectives on anti-money laundering enforcement,’ focuses on current AML rules, regulatory regime enforcement and the future of AML enforcement in the US and UK related to cryptocurrency. In this episode, podcast host Charles Kolstad is joined by Harvey Knight, partner on our financial services regulatory team in London, and Chris LaVigne, partner on our litigation and arbitration team in our New York office. 

Harvey highlights the UK Financial Conduct Authority (FCA)’s registration system for AML purposes, its current status and its future outlook. Chris discusses the US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN)’s increasing focus on AML laws for crypto companies in the US, the regulatory push for AML enforcement on crypto-related crimes, and the latest with the SEC’s lawsuit against Ripple Labs Inc. over an alleged unregistered, ongoing digital asset securities offering.  

For this and more, listen in on this interesting and informative transatlantic discussion on cryptocurrency and anti-money laundering enforcement. We hope you enjoy the episode.