CyberKongz, a gaming-based NFT project, announced on December 16 that it has received a Wells Notice from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The notice raises concerns about the platform’s integration of its ERC-20 token with blockchain games and questions aspects of its activities, including its 2021 contract migration. The SEC’s Argument In a...Read More
Federally approved digital asset securities platform Prometheum has filed a defamation lawsuit against crypto commentator Matthew Blumberg. The dispute stems from a November 6 post on X, where the critic accused the firm of operating “an illegal unregistered commodities exchange” and engaging in shady dealings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Free Speech...Read More
Hester Peirce, a Commissioner at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), has outlined a vision for the agency’s crypto regulatory strategy under President-elect Donald Trump. In a recent interview on Fox Business, Peirce identified three priorities to address what she sees as critical obstacles hindering the growth and clarity of the crypto industry. Pierces’s...Read More
Tyler Winklevoss, co-founder of the Gemini crypto exchange, has declared that his company will adopt the same policy as Coinbase, cutting ties with any law firms or entities that hire former U.S. Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) officials associated with alleged overreach against the digital asset industry. His decision comes in the wake of Coinbase...Read More
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has pushed back against efforts to dismiss its lawsuit against cryptocurrency exchange Binance, its U.S. branch Binance.US, and former CEO Changpeng Zhao. The regulator accuses them of running an unregistered securities exchange through the trading of BNB, Binance’s native token, and ten other cryptocurrencies. Details From the Filing...Read More
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong announced a bold stance against law firms hiring individuals associated with what he views as ethically questionable actions during the SEC’s “soon-to-be prior administration.” Armstrong revealed that the crypto exchange has already informed its legal partners that employing such individuals would result in the termination of their professional relationship with the...Read More
XRP has climbed to the third spot among cryptocurrencies by market cap, overtaking the world’s largest stablecoin Tether (USDT) as well as the “Ethereum Killer” Solana (SOL). Data from CoinMarketCap reveals that XRP’s capitalization has surged past $1350 billion, leaving only Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH) ahead in the rankings. Over the past seven days,...Read More
Bitwise Asset Management has submitted a proposal to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a new exchange-traded fund (ETF) based on its existing 10 Crypto Index Fund. The ETF would include ten leading cryptocurrencies: Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Solana (SOL), XRP, Cardano (ADA), Avalanche (AVAX), Chainlink (LINK), Bitcoin Cash (BCH), Polkadot (DOT), and...Read More
After years of positioning itself as the dominant regulatory force in the digital asset space, often at odds with crypto advocates, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) faces a significant shift in jurisdictional control. Amidst mounting frustration with the agency’s combative approach, the incoming Trump administration is pushing to expand the Commodity Futures Trading Commission...Read More
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has announced that it secured $8.2 billion in enforcement actions in 2024. This is the largest amount the commission has ever recovered, with significant contributions coming from the high-profile Terraform Labs case. Terraform Labs Leads SEC Recoveries According to a November 22 report, the SEC’s enforcement actions for...Read More
In a settlement with US authorities, BIT Mining agreed to pay $10 million in penalties related to bribery allegations involving Japanese government officials to secure a resort license. The company, which operates in the Bitcoin mining sector, admitted to violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) by conspiring to pay bribes and falsifying records. As...Read More
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has confirmed the distribution of over $4.6 million to investors impacted by the unregistered initial coin offering (ICO) of blockchain startup BitClave. The funds will be paid out from the BitClave Fair Fund following a notice and claims process. BitClave’s $29 Million ICO Settlement “The checks are in...Read More
Gary Gensler, the current chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), confirmed on Thursday that he will be stepping down from his role starting in January. Gensler confirmed the news in an announcement on Twitter and a post to the SEC’s website, saying it had been an “honor of a lifetime” to “ensure...Read More
The Trump transition team is considering pro-crypto lawyer Teresa Goody Guillén as a potential SEC chair candidate, according to reports. Guillén is currently a partner at BakerHostetler and co-lead of its blockchain team. Last week, Gary Gensler released a statement that suggested he was leaving the agency, and the debate over his replacement has heated...Read More
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse has expressed concerns about the potential appointment of Bob Stebbins as chair of the securities regulator. The industry executive responded to a post on X by crypto researcher ‘Anders’ who described Stebbins as “the old guard candidate for the SEC chair” before adding: “If Trump truly wants to make the US...Read More
During a recent appearance on Fox News, Ripple’s chief executive, Brad Garlinghouse, spoke about the aftermath of Donald Trump’s victory in the 24 US presidential elections. He believes the US crypto industry will benefit a lot from a more ‘lawful’ administration. The US Crypto Industry Won Although it has been just a week or so...Read More
Gensler, who is potentially weeks away from being replaced as the head of the SEC by President-elect Donald Trump, has remained defiant and true to his stance on crypto and enforcement. In a speech in New York on Nov. 14, Gensler said that “not every [crypto] asset is a security.” He added that former SEC...Read More
President-elect Donald Trump’s team is reportedly in discussions with cryptocurrency leaders about regulatory changes that could reshape the U.S. approach to digital assets. According to sources, Trump plans to adopt a more lenient regulatory stance to fulfill his campaign promise of making the U.S. the “crypto capital of the planet.” Crypto-Friendly Appointments The Washington Post...Read More
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) official Mark Uyeda has called for a shift in the agency’s handling of cryptocurrency regulations. The sentiment from the commissioner, a member of the Republican party, aligns with President-elect Donald Trump’s campaign promise to halt the Biden administration’s aggressive stance towards the digital asset industry. Pause in SEC’s Enforcement...Read More
Tron founder Justin Sun has offered Gary Gensler, the beleaguered chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), a job. The offer came to light in a recent X post, in which Sun expressed his willingness to hire Gensler provided he could “genuinely treat the crypto industry with sincerity.” SEC Chair Gets a Lifeline...Read More
Gary Gensler’s SEC has conducted one of the most aggressive regulatory crackdowns on the crypto industry in US history, viewing most digital assets as unregistered securities under decades-old finance laws. However, the recent Republican landslide at the polls could result in a rollback of enforcement action from the securities regulator, according to Bloomberg. Additionally, President...Read More
The votes are in, and it’s now official that the 47th US President will be the 45th one – Donald J. Trump. Now, the crypto industry will wait to see if he will follow through on his multiple promises to let it thrive and support it in various ways. One of those promises made during...Read More
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has called for the next US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair to address the agency’s perceived inconsistencies in its approach to digital assets. Armstrong’s criticism stems from the securities regulator’s shifting stance throughout the years which has caused frustration within the community. SEC’s Contradictions on Crypto His tweet, which accompanied...Read More
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has issued a “Wells Notice” to Immutable, a blockchain gaming platform. It joins a list of prominent Web3 companies targeted by the agency’s regulation-by-enforcement approach. Following the news, the price of IMX token declined by more than 14% in the last 24 hours, falling below $1.40. Abrupt Wells...Read More
The United States Court of Appeal for the Second Circuit has ordered the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to file its principal appeal brief against Ripple Labs before January 15, 2025. This comes after the agency requested a deadline extension until the said date. No More Delays Initially, the SEC missed its submission deadline...Read More
Consensys, the blockchain development firm behind the popular MetaMask crypto wallet, has decided to lay off over 160 employees. The move impacts 20% of its total workforce. According to founder and CEO Joe Lubin, this decision was driven by macroeconomic challenges and substantial legal costs incurred during the company’s extended regulatory battles. Job Cuts at Consensys...Read More
Ripple Labs has stepped up its legal battle with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) after filing its Civil Appeal Pre-Argument Statement, also known as Form C. The filing comes only days after the SEC entered a last-minute appeal against several parts of a 2023 judgment which found that Ripple’s programmatic sales of its...Read More
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Gary Gensler has appeared to double down on the agency’s hardline stance on cryptocurrency regulation. In a recent Bloomberg interview, he reaffirmed that the SEC will continue its much-maligned enforcement-led approach rooted in existing securities laws despite mounting backlash from the crypto industry and lawmakers. Commission Holds Firm...Read More
The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has arrested an individual responsible for posting a fake tweet announcing the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) approval of spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs) earlier this year. According to a press release by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, authorities have charged the...Read More
After much confusion and speculation, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed an appeal in its ongoing legal spat with Ripple Labs. The appeal is challenging parts of Judge Analisa Torres’ 2023 summary judgment, which found that Ripple’s sales of its XRP token to retail investors on crypto exchanges did not break U.S. securities...Read More
