Securities Enforcement. Corporate Investigations. Financial Regulation.
Independent analysis of the laws, regulations, investigations, and enforcement actions shaping modern financial markets.
BRAEDEN ANDERSON
Braeden is one of the top securities lawyers in the country and was recognized by Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch® in America in the Financial Services Regulation Law and Securities Regulation categories. This honor is awarded to only the top 2% of attorneys in the United States and is based on a comprehensive peer-review survey.
Braeden helped lead Gesmer Updegrove to recognition in The Legal 500 United States for Corporate Investigations & White Collar Crime, Tier 3, and Finance: Fintech, Tier 4.
Braeden is active in the U.S. securities enforcement community through Securities Docket, where he has served on the 2025 and 2026 Advisory Boards and contributed video commentary through the Weekly Update.
Braeden was named the #1 United States author in FinTech in Mondaq’s Spring 2025 Thought Leadership Awards, reflecting the national reach and influence of his writing on fintech, securities regulation, and digital asset policy.
DOJ Bans Lawyers from ABA Events
In a move that has stirred unease across the legal community, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced last week that its attorneys are prohibited from attending or participating in events organized by the American Bar Association (ABA). The decision, laid out in a memo from Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche, cited concerns that the ABA has engaged in “activist causes,” including litigation aimed at blocking Trump administration policies on foreign aid.
Markets React to Fake News on Tariffs: A Cautionary Tale for Traders
On April 8, 2025, U.S. financial markets experienced a whiplash moment after an unverified social media report falsely claimed the Trump administration was preparing a 90-day suspension of tariffs. The news—initially published by pseudonymous Twitter personality “Walter Bloomberg” and subsequently picked up by credible outlets including CNBC and Reuters—set off an immediate and massive rally in equity markets. The rally added trillions of dollars in paper value in a matter of minutes.
Conducting a Tokenized Offering Under Reg A
While there are multiple frameworks available to launch and distribute tokens—including those designed to avoid classification as securities—many of our clients elect to offer tokens as securities for strategic reasons. This can include unlocking broader investor participation, enabling secondary market liquidity, or building long-term institutional trust. Regulation A and Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) are the two primary exemptions that allow for the public issuance of security tokens under U.S. law.
CFPB’s Overreach: Applying Regulation E to Unhosted Wallets is Legally and Technologically Unsound
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) recently issued a proposed interpretive rule that aims to expand the scope of Electronic Fund Transfer Act (EFTA) and Regulation E to include unhosted blockchain wallets such as MetaMask.
SEC Enforcement Lawyers Face Fallout as Crypto Industry Pushes Back
The ongoing battle between the SEC and the cryptocurrency industry has taken a new turn—not just in regulatory policy, but in the professional reputations of SEC enforcement attorneys. With the agency facing court setbacks and political shifts, some former SEC lawyers are struggling to find opportunities in private practice, particularly at firms engaged in crypto-related work. This dynamic raises fair questions on both sides—is this an unfair punishment for regulators who were doing their jobs, or is it a natural consequence of overzealous enforcement that left a lasting impact on the industry?