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Cryptocurrency & Digital Assets

Arnold & Porter’s blockchain, crypto, and digital assets practice brings together a cross-disciplinary team of attorneys with deep knowledge of the rapidly evolving digital asset ecosystem. Drawing from our firm’s strengths in financial regulation, structured finance, securities, bankruptcy, litigation and investigations, public policy, and emerging technologies, we offer comprehensive guidance to clients navigating the complex legal and regulatory landscape. Whether advising on digital asset offerings, structuring, or compliance with SEC, CFTC, FinCEN, and banking regulatory frameworks, our team is at the forefront of helping clients adapt to shifting policies and enforcement priorities.

We counsel clients across all facets of digital finance, including digital asset platforms, stablecoin issuers, FinTechs, banks, developers, broker-dealers, asset managers, and investors. Our lawyers are actively engaged in monitoring legislative and regulatory developments and regularly interface with key agencies and industry groups to advocate for practical, forward-looking policies. Arnold & Porter offers a fully integrated approach — from product development and licensing to risk management and dispute resolution, we provide strategic, end-to-end legal support to help clients innovate, scale, and lead in the digital assets space.

  • Regulatory Depth & Government Insight: We guide clients through complex digital asset rules with alumni from the SEC, CFTC, and the banking regulators. Our team advises on financial regulatory, securities, AML, sanctions, and privacy laws, bringing insider perspective to a the evolving regulatory landscape.

  • Enforcement & Litigation Strength: We conduct measured and efficient investigations, providing guidance through government enforcement actions, mounting strategic defenses, and working with clients to help minimize any reputational harm from a government investigation or enforcement action while protecting our clients’ business objectives.

  • Legislative & Policy Leadership: We maintain trusted, bipartisan relationships across key congressional committees and relevant agencies, shaping digital asset policy through strategic advocacy, legislative insight, and thought leadership.

Broad client base of established and emerging companies across key sectors.
“Arnold & Porter’s strength is they have the capacity and expertise of a large firm, but are able to still move quickly and effectively in an early-stage start-up environment.” — Client, Chambers FinTech 2025
The Arnold & Porter team is well-versed in complicated banking issues and consistently provides great work product.” — Client, Chambers USA 2025
Our integrated approach gives clients a competitive edge in today’s increasingly crypto-fueled finance world by helping to keep them on top of rapidly evolving legal and regulatory environments.

Digital Asset Advisory Series

Stay up to date on the significant changes in crypto policy. Read our latest advisories detail new regulations, their market impact, and provide insights and practical advice on compliance and risk management

Experience Highlights

  • Clearing and settlement platform on blockchain-based private securities platform and related regulatory matters, as well as partnering and licensing arrangements with DLT platform provider.

  • Sotheby's in litigation in the Southern District of New York concerning ownership of major NFT sold at auction.

  • Bank with respect to threatened enforcement actions and related supervisory issues arising from digital asset customer relationships.

  • Keonne Rodriguez in the Samourai Wallet cryptocurrency prosecution.

  • Digital asset financial services provider in developing a congressional engagement campaign on digital asset regulation.

  • Venture capital firm with respect to a potential equity investment in a platform that facilitates the purchase and sale of NFTs in exchange for fiat currency and/or cryptocurrency.

  • Former crypto CEO in securities fraud investigations by the SEC, EDNY, and NY State Attorney General, and related private party lawsuits.

  • Major cryptocurrency custodian and exchange in digital assets matters, including advocating for banks to be permitted to offer cryptocurrency custody and execution services in alignment with the Trump Administration's Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology Executive Order.

  • Digital Bitcoin storage company in advising on the privacy aspects of master agreements with digital asset platform company.

  • Cryptocurrency company in an SEC investigation concerning the sale of unregistered securities, involving complex factual and legal questions about whether the digital assets at issue qualify as “securities” under the Howey test.

  • Bank with national operations in its strategic relationship with a blockchain-based fintech, and as a founding member of the USDF consortium and launch of USDF Stablecoin.

Key Contacts

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Recognition

  • Chambers FinTech
    Fintech Legal (USA) (2025)
  • Chambers USA
    Financial Services Regulation: Banking—Enforcement & Investigations (Nationwide) (2025)
    Financial Services Regulation: Banking—Compliance (Nationwide) (2025)
    Securities: Regulation: Enforcement - Nationwide (2025)
    Corporate Crime & Investigations: The Elite (Nationwide) (2025)
    Litigation: White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations (Washington, D.C., New Jersey, New York) (2025)
  • IFLR1000
    Financial Services Regulatory (USA) (2025)
  • The Legal 500 US
    Fintech (2025)
    Financial Services Regulation: Banking (2025)
    Financial Services Litigation (2025)
    Securities Litigation: Defense (2025)
  • U.S. News & World Report and Best Lawyers
    “Best Law Firms” for Securities Litigation and Regulation – Washington, D.C., National (2025)
    “Best Law Firms” for Litigation - Regulatory Enforcement (SEC, Telecom, Energy) – Washington, D.C., National (2025)
    “Best Law Firms” for Derivatives and Futures Law – Washington, D.C., National (2025)
  • Benchmark Litigation
    White-Collar Crime (2025)