What to Expect Inside Crypto Lawyer Rafael Padilla’s New Book

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. BitPinas has no commercial relationship with any mentioned entity unless otherwise stated.

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What’s the news: Atty. Rafael Padilla recently announced that he launched a book, “Crypto and the Law”, which explores the legal and regulatory implications of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology.

Details on where the book can be purchased can be found here.

What’s the significance: The book, with its examination of legal frameworks governing cryptocurrency, may provide guidance for entrepreneurs, investors, builders, legal professionals, and regulators in navigating the rapidly evolving landscape of digital assets in the country.

Key details:

Photo for the Article - What to Expect Inside Crypto Lawyer Rafael Padilla’s New Book

Crypto and the Law aims to address how cryptocurrency interfaces with law and regulation.
The book was noted to draw inspiration from Padilla’s presentations for various legal functions.
He stated that some chapters were developed from academic papers written during his Master of Laws degree at San Beda University and articles contributed to publications like Bedan Law Review and BitPinas.

Key quote:

“[Crypto and the Law] was inspired by my presentations on the legal and regulatory aspects of cryptocurrency, blockchain and fintech, delivered during business and technology conferences, Mandatory Continuing Legal Education for lawyers, Continuing Professional Development for accountants, corporate governance trainings for publicly-listed companies, capacity building seminars for civil servants, webinars, and academic lectures in colleges and universities for the past 10 years.”

Atty. Rafael Padilla

Padilla shared that the cover features Bitcoin’s logo, as it reflects the leading cryptocurrency’s launch in 2009 as a major social, economic, and technological milestone.

He added that the book argues that Bitcoin and other decentralized technologies can improve legal systems by promoting liberty, property, and order, aligning crypto and law as potential allies.

Book Content (Added: October 25, 2024):

Chapter 1: Technology and Commercial Background
Chapter 2: Crypto and Property Law
Chapter 3: Bitcoin and Monetary Law
Chapter 4: Regulating Crypto Intermediaries as Virtual Asset Service Providers
Chapter 5: Crypto and Anti-Money Laundering
Chapter 6: Crypto and Securities Regulation
Chapter 7: Crypto and Trading Regulation
Chapter 8: Crypto and Payments Regulation
Chapter 9: Stablecoins
Chapter 10: Blockchains and Distributed Ledgers
Chapter 11: Smart Contracts
Chapter 12: Privacy Implications of Crypto and Blockchains
Chapter 13: Bitcoin Mining and ESG
Chapter 14: Decentralized Finance
Chapter 15: Decentralized Autonomous Organizations
Chapter 16: Nonfungible Tokens
Chapter 17: Blockchain-Based Dispute Resolution
Chapter 18: Cryptoasset as Collateral in Secured Transactions
Chapter 19: Special Topics (Metaverse, Web3, Staking, Crypto Lending, Tax Implications, and Central Bank Digital Currency)
Chapter 20: Afterword

For the Article - How to Protect Your Bitcoin Assets and CBDC Impact on Crypto in the Philippines — Rafael Padilla is a blockchain lawyer and author of Fintech: First Law and Principles

Who is Rafael Padilla:

Co-Founder and a Trustee of BlockDevs Asia
Co-founded Blockchain Association of the Philippines and the Fintech Philippines Association
Professor of Law at San Beda Alabang, teaching Statutory Construction, Constitutional Law, and Tax
Padilla regularly contributes articles to the BitPinas website explaining the legal side of things in regards to the latest regulatory concerns over certain issues
He also guests on the webcast, his last appearance was on Episode 46 where the implications of the Binance Ban was discussed.

First book: In 2020, Padilla published his first book “Fintech: Law and First Principles”.

The book was noted to offer an “expert and comprehensive discussion on the field of financial technologies.”

Where to purchase: As per Padilla’s post, the book, as well as his first fintech book, are published and distributed by Rex Book Store and are currently available in the Makati branch.

The bottom line: With the Philippines still not having specific crypto regulations while the industry continues to evolve, materials laying out the implications of digital assets in various legal contexts may help individuals and entities to keep pace.

Worth reading: Last year, Former Solicitor General Florin “Pilo” Hilbay, current Dean of Silliman College of Law, also launched a book on The Bitcoin Monetary Network.