LegalOnChain

International Legal Counsel | 10+ PQE | Cross-Border Corporate Structuring | Regulatory Advisory | WEB3 | Ex-Head of Legal (FinTech, Payments)

[LegalOnChain @LegalOnChain]

Finally joined the @madlads family!

About me:

I’m an international legal counsel with 10+ years across multiple jurisdictions - from paralegal to Head of Legal. Worked extensively in FinTech. Now focused on the legal framework of Web3.

Give a follow if this interests you!

[LegalOnChain @LegalOnChain]

If you truly want to reach your potential and flourish, choose your surroundings carefully.

We’ve all heard this before. But when you change teams, industries, countries, when you expose yourself to completely different people, that’s when you truly understand the importance of this decision.

“Your” people will give you energy.
They will believe in you.
They will challenge you and be kind to you.
They will want you to succeed.

Choose your surroundings wisely. Choose people who are better than you and learn from them.

This is not just a statement, it’s a guideline:
if you are the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.

#personalgrowth #career

[LegalOnChain @LegalOnChain]

Recently I had a conversation with a colleague of mine who works in the Web3 space to some extent. In the middle of that discussion, I realised how often Web3-related terms are used incorrectly.

Back at university, one of my professors used to say: “Never start a discussion before you define the terms.”

I see the opposite happening regularly in this relatively new industry. People confidently use terminology without fully understanding the concepts behind it.

For example, my colleague said:
“Everyone is moving from crypto to DeFi now because crypto is becoming too regulated, which undermines its purpose.”

Well. Let’s start with definitions (jurisdiction matters here as well).

“Crypto” refers to digital assets, i.e., a digital representation of an asset or of a right, secured by cryptography and typically built and stored on distributed ledger technologies.

When people say “crypto,” they usually mean the entire ecosystem of DLT-based digital assets. In other words, crypto is the umbrella term.

“DeFi (or Decentralised Finance)" is only one sector within that broader crypto ecosystem. It focuses specifically on financial services built on DLT.

Its aim is to recreate, and even improve, traditional financial services (trading, lending, borrowing, etc.) in a decentralised environment.

And DeFi is not some regulation-free alternative. In fact, it is a legally complex space. The regulatory implications of DeFi activities deserve a separate discussion; we will get there.

But for now, here is the key point:

All DeFi is crypto.
But not all crypto is DeFi.

Before debating where the industry is moving, it might be useful to agree on what we are actually talking about.

Definitions matter, especially in law.

#crypto #DeFi #regulatory

[LegalOnChain @LegalOnChain]

@chilispace @coinbureau Banning Russia is next

[LegalOnChain @LegalOnChain]

You may not always know exactly what you want, but at the very least it’s important to understand what you definitely don’t want

[LegalOnChain @LegalOnChain]

A big bravo for the European launch of @kucoincom!

A MiCA license from Austria’s FMA and a regulated rollout across 29 EEA markets mark a real milestone; and not just for KuCoin, but for the maturation of Europe’s crypto market.

Good luck on this European chapter!

MiCA is live, and the race is officially on 🔥

#KuCoin #MiCA #EUCrypto #CryptoRegulation

[LegalOnChain @LegalOnChain]

Anticipating something remarkable!
#crypto

[U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission @SECGov]

TODAY at 2PM: Chairman @SECPaulSAtkins and @CFTC @ChairmanSelig will be discussing harmonization and their efforts to deliver on President Trump’s promise to make the U.S. the crypto capital of the world.

Livestream: https://t.co/nIX7Qc9N0q
Event details: https://t.co/EIEvAdJanb

[LegalOnChain @LegalOnChain]

And here we go! Different risk, different regulation, different outcome when things go wrong.

Yesterday, divisions of the SEC set out their views on the taxonomy of tokenized securities, drawing a clear line between issuer-sponsored tokenization (securities in digital form) and third-party tokenization (separate financial products referencing securities).

#tokenizedsecurities

[Wu Blockchain @WuBlockchain]

The SEC said tokenized securities fall into two categories: issuer-sponsored and third-party sponsored. Issuer-sponsored tokenized securities are treated the same as traditional securities. Third-party tokenized securities may not provide holders with rights to the underlying securities and, in some cases, may be classified and regulated as security-based swaps. https://t.co/UJZceCKsJk

[LegalOnChain @LegalOnChain]

@DeFiJonas And it’s still a good choice even if you don’t, since Cyprus offers other incentives unrelated to crypto

[LegalOnChain @LegalOnChain]

As I highlighted in my previous post, predictable rules are a prerequisite for operational efficiency.

Revolut’s long-standing crypto presence in Cyprus, now transitioning into the MiCA framework, illustrates why regulated businesses are increasingly reassessing jurisdictional assumptions within the EU.

In this context, Cyprus is increasingly being considered by market participants as a viable jurisdiction for crypto-asset service providers within the EU.

#MiCA #cryptoregulation #crypto #fintech #compliance #Cyprus

[LegalOnChain @LegalOnChain]

@DeFiJonas Absolutely!

[LegalOnChain @LegalOnChain]

The beginning of 2026 marks a deliberate transition for me: from in-house back to consulting.

It is not the most common trajectory (the move is usually the other way around), but it is one that accurately reflects my professional goals.

Since the beginning of the year, my work has focused on a broad range of matters across jurisdictions, including, Irish company law and cross-border structuring, capital maintenance and share premium regimes in Cyprus, digital content and game distribution platforms worldwide, and, increasingly, crypto-assets from both a regulatory and tax perspective.

One development, in particular, deserves your attention.

As of 1 January 2026, Cyprus introduced a crypto tax framework, applying a 8% flat rate to profits from the sale or exchange of crypto-assets.

From a legal and commercial standpoint, this represents a meaningful shift: crypto disposals are no longer addressed indirectly through general tax concepts, but through a defined regime with predictable outcomes.

For businesses operating in the digital asset space, particularly regulated and cross-border groups, this level of clarity materially improves compliance, financial forecasting, and risk management.

In practice, predictable rules are often far more valuable than nominally low taxation, since clarity is a foundational input to efficiency.

[LegalOnChain @LegalOnChain]

At @SolanaConf, reviewing how DAOs actually get structured legally. The Cayman Islands are considered to be one of the preferred jurisdictions for DAO legal wrappers.

[LegalOnChain @LegalOnChain]

@RektBarrister The question is whether anything can truly be independent at all; it’s a discussion about whether a system involving people can exist without being subject to any external rules

[LegalOnChain @LegalOnChain]

Didn’t expect my first post to get that much love! Thanks, everyone, seriously 🖤
I’ll drop something fun in the next few days.
If there’s anything you want me to talk about, just throw it in the comments

[LegalOnChain @LegalOnChain]

@RektBarrister That’s a good topic for a start. In reality, Web3 is gradually moving away from its unregulated perception; I’ll dig into that in my upcoming posts

[LegalOnChain @LegalOnChain]

@riggbelva Thank you 🖤

[LegalOnChain @LegalOnChain]

@Faijul2500 Definitely!

[LegalOnChain @LegalOnChain]

@DeFiJonas Super, thanks! That’s a solid direction 🔥