Grayscale Investments CEO, Michael Sonnenshein, highlighted a potential negative outcome for the United States economy if the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) continues to take a one-by-one approach to regulating the cryptocurrency industry.
During a recent interview with Fox Business, Sonnenshein expressed that the SEC could drive crypto firms out of the country by constantly resorting to enforcement actions against the industry.
“If every crypto issued needs to go to a court of law, then we are squashing the innovation taking place here,” Sonnenshein stated.
Grayscale CEO Michael Sonnenshein on Fox Business ‘The Claman Countdown’. Source: Fox Business
Likewise, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse echoed similar comments prior to the partial victory of Ripple, which was decided on July 13.
On June 17 Garlinghouse expressed that the SEC is “looking to kill” innovation and the cryptocurrency in the U.S. He further explained as the Ripple lawsuit is coming to a close, it is only the beginning for many others.
“Ultimately as our law suit comes to a close, for so many others its just starting, so the fight for clarity has to continue,” Garlinghouse stated.
However, Sonnenshein holds a positive outlook regarding the ongoing developments Congress is taking to provide regulatory clarity for the industry.
“A lot of this legislation that this congress could very well pass, could give the industry the actual clarity it needs to move forward in a way that embraces crypto” Sonnenshein stated.
On July 31, Cointelegraph reported that the House Financial Services Committee (FSC) approved the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act with a 35-15 vote.
The act aims to establish registration rules for crypto firms under the jurisdiction of either the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) or the SEC.
Sonnenshein pointed out that the SEC is assessing the wrong criteria when determining which Bitcoin ETF should be introduced to the market.
“When I think about the process that the SEC should be untaking here, it’s really not to pick winners and losers, it is to ensure that all the right disclosures are put out there for investors.”
Sonnenshein further explained during the interview that there is room for several spot Bitcoin products on the market.
“We’ve been ready for a world where there are multiple spot Bitcoin products, where there are multiple bitcoin future products on the market” Sonnenshein stated.
He argued that the SEC’s previous approval of the Bitcoin Futures ETF implies it does in fact have an adequate oversight of the Bitcoin market.
“They do not believe there is sufficient surveillance in the underlying Bitcoin market[…]The SEC already has the tools to approve spot Bitcoin ETFs.”
On Aug. 11, the SEC delayed its decision on the outcome of the spot Bitcoin ETF proposed by ARK Investment Management.
After its publication in the Federal Register, the SEC initiated a public comment period for the ARK 21Shares Bitcoin ETF.
This marks the most recent postponement in the regulatory decision-making process regarding the approval or disapproval of a spot crypto ETF in the U.S.
When TV cameras are let in to film world leaders meeting in person, the resulting footage is usually incredibly boring for journalists and incredibly safe for politicians.
Put through a total of almost 90 minutes of televised questioning alongside the American leader, it was his diciest encounter with the president yet.
But he still just about emerged intact.
For a start, he can claim substantive policy wins after Trump announced extra pressure on Vladimir Putin to negotiate a ceasefire and dialled up the concern over the devastating scenes coming from Gaza.
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There were awkward moments aplenty though.
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Image: The two leaders held talks in front of the media. Pic: Reuters
On green energy, immigration, taxation and online regulation, the differences were clear to see.
Sir Keir just about managed to paper over the cracks by chuckling at times, choosing his interventions carefully and always attempting to sound eminently reasonable.
At times, it had the energy of a man being forced to grin and bear inappropriate comments from his in-laws at an important family dinner.
But hey, it stopped a full Trump implosion – so I suppose that’s a win.
My main takeaway from this Scotland visit though is not so much the political gulf present between the two men, but the gulf in power.
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Trump gives Putin new deadline to end war
Sir Keir flew the length of the country he leads to be the guest at the visiting president’s resort.
He was then forced to sit through more than an hour of uncontrolled, freewheeling questioning from a man most of his party and voters despise, during which he was offered unsolicited advice on how to beat Nigel Farage and criticised (albeit indirectly) on key planks of his government’s policy platform.
In return he got warm words about him (and his wife) and relatively incremental announcements on two foreign policy priorities.
So why does he do it?
Because, to borrow a quote from a popular American political TV series: “Air Force One is a big plane and it makes a hell of a noise when it lands on your head.”
With Amazon and Walmart exploring stablecoins, institutions may be underestimating potential exposure of customer data on blockchains, posing risks to privacy and brand trust.
The European Central Bank may rely on regulated euro stablecoins and private innovation to counter the dominance of US dollar stablecoins, says adviser Jürgen Schaaf.