Mon, Jun 29, 2026
A A A
Welcome Guest
Free Trial RSS pod
Get FREE trial access to our award winning publications
Alternative Market Briefing

Other Voices: ICOs and digital assets: a new and optional legal regime in France

Thursday, May 30, 2019

By: Philippe Goutay, Linda Hesse, Jones Day

The Situation: ICOs and digital assets have become a new phenomenon that has impacted many aspects of our modern economies and created an alternative way of financing for start-ups or small and medium-sized enterprises.

The Result: These assets and transactions may lead clients or investors to face new financial risks that cross borders.

Looking Ahead: The French Parliament has adopted a law providing for an optional regime covering the primary and secondary markets relating to digital assets offerings and trading, leaving players with the option to benefit from a label for their activities.

On May 23, 2019, the Pacte Law relating to the growth and transformation of companies was enacted under n°2019-486. The French government, through its Ministry of Finance, along with the French Treasury and the Autorité des marches financiers, was willing to provide a legal framework for new activities relating to tokens and digital assets, which have significantly grown in France. While an ordinance dated December 8, 2017, has provided for a statutory regime for unlisted securities to be registered and transferred using a distributed ledger technology, French authorities were also aiming to regulate both the offering of tokens (excluding security tokens) and certain services on digital assets (including tokens). This new initiative follows Italy, which enacted in early February 2019 a set of rules establish......................

To view our full article Click here

Previous Opalesque Exclusives                                  
Previous Other Voices                                               
Access Alternative Market Briefing

 



  • Top Forwarded
  • Top Tracked
  • Top Searched
  1. Other Voices: Nvidia extraordinary growth and the challenge of sustaining demanding valuations over time[more]

    Antonio Di Giacomo, Senior Market Analyst at XS.com, writes: Nvidia has established itself as one of the most extraordinary growth companies in the global technology sector. Over the past two fiscal years, its revenues have risen from levels close to $60 billion annually to well above $120 billi

  2. Secondaries take center stage: What the 2026 PE landscape means for GPs and investors[more]

    Matthias Knab, Opalesque for New Managers: The 2026 edition of Dechert's Global Private Equity Outlook - "Signs of a Gradual Thaw" - marks a notable shift in industry sentiment. After years of compr

  3. And, finally: Time to share it with the people[more]

    From Newsoftheweird: Leavenworth, Washington, has become a tourist destination because of the Bavarian theme businesses have adopted there, NPR reported. One shop, the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum, houses the world's largest nutcracker collection, thanks to 101-year-old Arlene Wagner. Wagner sta

  4. Opalesque Exclusive: Private Markets Evergreen Funds - An Insider's View[more]

    Matthias Knab, Opalesque for New Managers: Private Markets Evergreen Funds: What Investors Need to Know Before They Dive In The democratization of private markets is well underway. Structural barriers t

  5. Opalesque Exclusive: Governance, Scale, and Boutique Resilience in a Consolidating Hedge Fund Industry[more]

    Matthias Knab, Opalesque for New Managers: The hedge fund industry has undergone significant consolidation in recent years, with capital increasingly concentrated among large multi-strategy platforms. Yet boutique m