Highlights

• The SEC is investigating Binance and every U.S. cryptocurrency exchange, a Forbes report quoting an unnamed source from Senator Lummis’ (R-Wy) office has claimed.
• The SEC has been ramping up its efforts to regulate the digital assets space in recent weeks, including a probe on Coinbase for allegedly listing unregistered securities.
• The financial regulator faces a battle with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as it attempts to establish itself as the crypto market’s main U.S. regulator.

The financial regulator has stepped up its oversight of the digital assets space in recent weeks.

U.S. Exchanges Under Investigation By SEC

Coinbase is not the only cryptocurrency exchange the SEC is keeping tabs on, according to a staffer from Senator Cynthia Lummis’ (R-Wy) office.

A Thursday report from Forbes quoting an unnamed employee from Lummis’ office has claimed that the U.S. financial regulator is probing Binance and every U.S. cryptocurrency exchange. According to the source, the SEC is looking to establish itself as the country’s chief crypto regulator as it continues its battle with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission for oversight of the industry.

The CFTC has maintained authority over “virtual currencies” since 2014, but in recent years, the SEC has made it clear that it wants to hold court over the space. SEC chair Gary Gensler has warned on multiple occasions that many crypto tokens could qualify as unregistered securities, and last week the agency gave its strongest hint yet that it wants to clamp down on the nascent market. In a court filing alleging that a former Coinbase employee and two of his associates had engaged in insider trading, the SEC claimed that the exchange lets customers trade “at least nine” unregistered securities.

SEC Coinbase Probe Impacts Binance.US 

While the Coinbase insider trading allegations sent shockwaves across the industry, the SEC’s claim was also notable in that it has never previously targeted an exchange over its supported tokens. It then emerged that the regulator was probing Coinbase. Binance.US responded by delisting one of the tokens mentioned, AMP.

The SEC’s wrath hasn’t stopped with Coinbase. Since the insider trading filing, Gensler has gone on record to say that he doesn’t see a difference between cryptocurrency exchanges and traditional stock trading venues, adding that there are “inherent conflicts of interest” with exchanges that act as market makers. The SEC also charged 11 people behind Forsage in what it called a “crypto pyramid scheme” that cost investors $300 million.

While the SEC has recently been escalating its efforts to regulate the digital assets space, the CFTC has also been handed a possible route to establish more oversight on cryptocurrencies. This week, the Senate Agriculture Committee introduced the Digital Commodities Consumer Protection Act of 2022. If passed, the new bill would see Bitcoin and Ethereum classified as commodities and give the CFTC oversight of exchanges that list them for trading. With Bitcoin and Ethereum holding the top two spots on the crypto leaderboard, that would include Binance’s U.S. division, Coinbase, and every other major crypto exchange. The proposed legislation could theoretically still see other tokens classified as securities and therefore fall under the SEC’s purview. However, the bill would have to pass through Congress to come into effect, meaning the CFTC and SEC clashes could continue for some time yet.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. It is not a direct offer or solicitation of an offer to buy or sell, or a recommendation or endorsement of any products, services, or companies. Celrbug.com does not provide investment, tax, legal, or accounting advice. Neither the company nor the author is responsible, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by, or in connection with, the use of or reliance on any content, goods or services mentioned in this article.

The information on or accessed through this website is obtained from independent sources we believe to be accurate and reliable, but Celrbug.com makes no representation or warranty as to the timeliness, completeness, or accuracy of any information on or accessed through this website. Celrbug.com is not an investment advisor. We do not give personalized investment other financial advice. The information on this website is subject to change without notice. Some or all of the information on this website may become outdated, or it may be or become incomplete or inaccurate. We may, but are not obligated to, update any outdated, incomplete, or inaccurate information.