On July 31, a report by the Monetary Occasions reported that the U.S. Securities and Change Fee (SEC) had requested Coinbase to stop all cryptocurrency buying and selling, together with Ethereum, with Bitcoin being the one exception, earlier than taking authorized motion towards the corporate.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong disclosed the SEC’s stance, stating that we consider all property besides Bitcoin are securities, however the regulatory physique didn’t make clear how this conclusion was reached.
Armstrong additional defined that the SEC had proposed this plan of action the earlier month, previous to submitting a lawsuit towards the Nasdaq-listed firm. The idea for the lawsuit was Coinbase’s failure to register as a dealer. Armstrong expressed his perception that compliance with the SEC’s request might need established a precedent, probably compelling most U.S. crypto corporations to function outdoors authorized boundaries except registered with the fee.
The SEC’s allegations towards Coinbase embrace participating in an unregistered securities providing via its staking-as-a-service program since 2019. On June 6, 2023, the SEC formally charged Coinbase with working its crypto asset buying and selling platform as an unregistered nationwide securities trade, dealer, and clearing company.
Moreover, the SEC accused Coinbase of failing to register the provide and sale of its crypto asset staking-as-a-service program, a platform that permits prospects to revenue from the “proof of stake” mechanisms of particular blockchains. The SEC’s grievance seeks a variety of authorized treatments, together with injunctive aid, disgorgement of ill-gotten features plus curiosity, penalties, and different equitable aid. The announcement of the lawsuit led to a 12% decline in Coinbase’s inventory on that day.
In its case towards Coinbase, the SEC recognized 13 smaller cryptocurrencies traded on the platform as securities. These embrace SOL, ADA, MATIC, FIL, SAND, AXS, CHZ, FLOW, ICP, NEAR, VGX, DASH, and NEXO. The SEC contends that by providing these cryptocurrencies, the buying and selling platform falls beneath regulatory jurisdiction, additional complicating the authorized panorama for cryptocurrencies in the US.
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