Advisors4Advisors

Last updated February 19, 2026

This class will not be submitted for approval as IAR CE until NASAA starts accepting new course applications again in early March.  If you complete the class, assessment and exercises successfully, credit will be delayed by several weeks.        

Crypto Investing Risks; Best Ethics IAR CE In 2026 examines how cryptocurrency products and tokenized investments create new risks that advisers must carefully consider in a rapidly changing regulatory environment.  

Tyler Gellasch, who wrote key provisions of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, as former Counsel in the Senate, explains how weaker oversight, regulatory loopholes, and shifting jurisdiction between regulators are likely to reduce protections clients expect.   

You learn how and when recommending tokenized securities, stablecoins, or crypto-related derivatives may conflict with your duty to act in a client’s best interest. 

None of the protections of public securities come with crypto investments, of course.  Clearly explaining the difference in risks of crypto versus securities investments is only one of key takeaway from this class.  Making sure clients understand they are not buying securities regulated by FINRA, the SEC and states is almost incidental to the main goal of the class.  

You also learn about the crypto industry's $200 million PAC aimed at federally preempting states from regulating crypto.  Also discussed is the cancellation of a Senate banking committee meeting after Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong pulled his support of a bipartisan compromise the night before the Committee was scheduled to meet. 

You learn how to: 

• Surface Securities Investment Protections. Recognize safeguards supporting trust in securities versus crypto.
• Spot Ethical Risk in Regulatory Gaps. Identify how weaker rules can increase the chance of client harm.
• Differentiate Innovation from Rule Avoidance? How crypto investment could sidestep existing investor protections.
• Understand Tokenization and explain it to clients. Why tokenized blockchain-based securities is a goal of crypto companies.
• Apply Equal Oversight as an Ethical Standard. Assess fairness when similar assets face different regulation.
• Weigh Profit Incentives Against Client Duty. Balance business innovation with fiduciary responsibility.
• Draw Ethical Lessons From Archegos. Understand how lack of transparency can damage markets and clients.
• Evaluate Manipulation Risk in Derivatives. Assess client exposure to opaque or highly leveraged products.
• Scrutinize Stablecoin Claims Carefully. How  stablecoins compare to bank deposits. 
• Guard Clients During Jurisdiction Changes. Recognize enforcement gaps that may limit investor protections.

The class is part of a plan for completing 2026 NASAA IAR CE requirements in six months in 12 live classes. If you hate taking tests, a 12-live-class program is right for you.