Should we replace the SAFT with a DEFT?
Disclaimer In the last year, many pre-sales of tokens have been structured as "SAFTs" ("Simple Agreement for Future Tokens"), partly because it's hard to sell a token that doesn't exist yet and partly because SAFTs were seen as a pathway through securities laws and other issues. More recently, I've been hearing about the death of SAFTs. The word "future" in the title implicates CFTC rules (with a potential related significant increase in the required net worth of purchasers), and the promise to issue tokens that don't currently exist make it questionable whether a SAFT is "property" for tax purposes, which is a prerequisite for an "83(b) election". It's also not possible to use a SAFT to make an acquisition of another company or assets without having the seller be taxed on the value of the SAFT on the date of issuance regardless of when the tokens ultimately are issued -- i.e. when the SAFT recipient can'