The United States House Financial Services Committee will hear how the Securities and Exchange Commission is changing its oversight and rules to keep pace with technological advancements, including cryptocurrencies and artificial intelligence.
SEC Chair Gary Gensler is set to outline how the U.S. securities regulator is updating its rules to align with “technology and business models of the 2020s.” As is customary, Gensler’s opening remarks have been published ahead of the Sept. 27 hearing, outlining the SEC’s wider oversight of securities and exchanges in the United States.
There is particular interest in the SEC’s approach to the cryptocurrency sector, which has copped criticism for its “regulate-by-enforcement” approach that has been criticized for quashing innovation and adoption in America.
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Gensler will directly address two areas of emerging technology, namely predictive data analytics and cryptocurrencies. The SEC chair is set to stress that investors and issuers involved in “crypto asset securities markets” deserve protections afforded by securities laws.
Referring to the establishment of the 1933 Securities Act, Gensler said that the U.S. Congress made a decision to include a list of more than 30 items in the definition of a security, including the term “investment contract.”
“As I’ve previously said, without prejudging any one token, the vast majority of crypto tokens likely meet the investment contract test.”
Gensler is set to tell the House Financial Services Committee that the SEC’s view that most cryptocurrencies are subject to securities laws also necessitates that intermediaries such as exchanges, brokers and dealers must comply with these laws as well.
The SEC chair suggests that the wider industry has been guilty of “wide-ranging noncompliance with the securities laws,” which has led to a number of enforcement actions. Gensler added that the SEC has looked to address the cryptocurrency “security markets” sector through rulemaking.
Related: US lawmakers call on SEC chair to approve spot Bitcoin ETFs ‘immediately’
This included a reopening release published in April 2023 that reiterated the applicability of existing SEC rules to platforms that trade cryptocurrencies, including decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols. Included in the release were further guidelines for systems that would fall under a new, proposed exchange definition.
“While our current investment adviser custody rule already applies to crypto funds and securities, our proposal updating it would cover all crypto assets and enhance the protections that qualified custodians provide.”
According to the SEC chair, predictive data analytics and artificial intelligence have brought about a “transformational age,” driving efficiencies across the economy. The potential of the technology stands to increase financial inclusion and user experience, but it also poses risks of exploitation.
“This also raises the possibilities that conflicts may arise to the extent, for example, that advisers or broker-dealers are optimizing to place their interests ahead of their investors’ interests.”
Gensler’s address also notes an SEC proposal in July 2023 that would require firms to analyze conflicts of interest arising from the use of predictive data analytics to interact with investors. These potential conflicts would need to be eliminated or neutralized by the firms concerned.
It remains to be seen whether Gensler will be drawn to comment on ongoing legal battles with Coinbase and Binance.US, two U.S.-based cryptocurrency exchanges that the regulator has charged with a litany of alleged securities laws violations.
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Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonymous creator of Bitcoin, marks their 50th birthday amid a year of rising institutional and geopolitical adoption of the world’s first cryptocurrency. The identity of Nakamoto remains one of the biggest mysteries in crypto, with speculation ranging from cryptographers like Adam Back and Nick Szabo to broader theories involving government intelligence agencies. While Nakamoto’s identity remains anonymous, the Bitcoin (BTC) creator is believed to have turned 50 on April 5 based on details shared in the past. According to archived data from his P2P Foundation profile, Nakamoto once claimed to be a 37-year-old man living in Japan and listed his birthdate as April 5, 1975. Source: Web.archive.org Nakamoto’s anonymity has played a vital role in maintaining the decentralized nature of the Bitcoin network, which has no central authority or leadership. The Bitcoin wallet associated with Nakamoto, which holds over 1 million BTC, has laid dormant for more than 16 years despite BTC rising from $0 to an all-time high above $109,000 in January. Satoshi Nakamoto statue in Lugano, Switzerland. Source: Cointelegraph Nakamoto’s 50th birthday comes nearly a month after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order creating a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and a Digital Asset Stockpile, marking the first major step toward integrating Bitcoin into the US financial system. Related: Bitcoin at 16: From experiment to trillion-dollar asset “At 50, Nakamoto’s legacy is no longer just code; it’s a cornerstone of economic sovereignty,” according to Anndy Lian, author and intergovernmental blockchain expert. “Bitcoin’s reserve status signals trust in its scarcity and resilience,” Lian told Cointelegraph, adding: “What’s fascinating is the timing. Fifty feels symbolic — half a century of life, mirrored by Bitcoin’s journey from a white paper to a trillion-dollar asset. Nakamoto’s vision of trustless, peer-to-peer money has outgrown its cypherpunk roots, entering the halls of power.” However, lingering questions about Nakamoto remain unanswered, including whether they still hold the keys to their wallet, which is “a fortune now tied to US policy,” Lian said. Related: Bitcoin’s next catalyst: End of $36T US debt ceiling suspension In February, Arkham Intelligence published findings that attribute 1.096 million BTC — then valued at more than $108 billion — to Nakamoto. That would place him above Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates on the global wealth rankings, according to data shared by Coinbase director Conor Grogan. Satoshi’s new addresses. Source: Conor Grogan If accurate, this would make Nakamoto the world’s 16th richest person. Despite the growing interest in Nakamoto’s identity and holdings, his early decision to remain anonymous and inactive has helped preserve Bitcoin’s decentralized ethos — a principle that continues to define the cryptocurrency to this day. Magazine: 10 crypto theories that missed as badly as ‘Peter Todd is Satoshi’
The United States stock market lost more in value over the April 4 trading day than the entire cryptocurrency market is worth, as fears over US President Donald Trump’s tariffs continue to ramp up. On April 4, the US stock market lost $3.25 trillion — around $570 billion more than the entire crypto market’s $2.68 trillion valuation at the time of publication. Among the Magnificent-7 stocks, Tesla (TSLA) led the losses on the day with a 10.42% drop, followed by Nvidia (NVDA) down 7.36% and Apple (AAPL) falling 7.29%, according to TradingView data. The significant decline across the board signals that the Nasdaq 100 is now “in a bear market” after falling 6% across the trading day, trading resource account The Kobeissi Letter said in an April 4 X post. This is the largest daily decline since March 16, 2020. “US stocks have now erased a massive -$11 TRILLION since February 19 with recession odds ABOVE 60%,” it added. The Kobessi Letter said Trump’s April 2 tariff announcement was “historic” and if the tariffs continue, a recession will be “impossible to avoid.” Source: Anthony Scaramucci On April 2, Trump signed an executive order establishing reciprocal tariffs on trading partners and a 10% baseline tariff on all imports from all countries. Trump said the reciprocal tariffs will be roughly half the rate US trading partners impose on American goods. Related: Bitcoin bulls defend $80K support as ‘World War 3 of trade wars’ crushes US stocks Meanwhile, the crypto industry has pointed out that while the stock market continues to decline, Bitcoin (BTC) remains stronger than most expected. Crypto trader Plan Markus pointed out in an April 4 X post that while the entire stock market “is tanking,” Bitcoin is holding. Source: Jeff Dorman Even some crypto skeptics have pointed out the contrast between Bitcoin’s performance and the US stock market during the recent period of macro uncertainty. Stock market commentator Dividend Hero told his 203,200 X followers that he has “hated on Bitcoin in the past, but seeing it not tank while the stock market does is very interesting to me.” Meanwhile, technical trader Urkel said Bitcoin “doesn’t appear to care one bit about tariff wars and markets tanking.” Bitcoin is trading at $83,749 at the time of publication, down 0.16% over the past seven days, according to CoinMarketCap data. Magazine: XRP win leaves Ripple a ‘bad actor’ with no crypto legal precedent set
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Nakamoto’s legacy: a “cornerstone of economic sovereignty”
Is Satoshi Nakamoto wealthier than Bill Gates?
Nasdaq 100 is now “in a bear market”
