what is an initial coin offering ico 
an initial coin offering ico is the cryptocurrency industry s equivalent of an initial public offering ipo a company seeking to raise money to create a new blockchain app or service with a cryptocurrency can launch an ico as a way to raise funds interested investors can buy into an initial coin offering to receive a new cryptocurrency issued by the company this token may have some utility related to the product or service that the company is offering or represent a stake in the company or project in many cases icos are security offerings and need to be registered however they may not need to register under certain circumstances rule 504 of regulation d does allow companies to offer and sell up to 10 million in securities in a 12 month period if they have filed form d after first selling their securities coin issuers who sell coins to investors as securities can do so legally if they comply with this rule you can check the sec s edgar database to see if a company has filed its form 1eliana rodgers investopedia