During the recent House Financial Services Committee hearing, Gary Gensler, Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), made significant statements about the regulatory status of Bitcoin (BTC), sparking a serious debate within the crypto community and beyond.
Gensler’s refusal to yield to the pressures from the crypto industry was on full display during the hearing. Although Gensler’s testimony provided some clarity, he left the crypto industry in a state of uncertainty due to his ambiguity.
Read Also: Gensler Silent on XRP Ruling Appeal, Says SEC is Still Deliberating on Summary Judgment
A Clarification of Bitcoin’s Status
A member of the XRP community shared a clip from the hearing on X showing Gensler’s view on Bitcoin as a security. After trying to dodge the question during the hearing, Gensler agreed that, according to U.S. laws, Bitcoin (BTC), the largest crypto by market cap, cannot be considered a security.
🚀 Breaking News: SEC Chair Gary Gensler speaks out on #Bitcoin! 📢 It's official, #BTC is NOT a security, but the question remains: Is it a commodity? 🤔🌟
Soon he will say the same about #XRP! 🚀🚀🚀 pic.twitter.com/SnlWxCl71B
— Collin Brown (@CollinBrownXRP) September 27, 2023
This affirmation reiterated the long-standing belief of the SEC and the crypto community. It also removed any lingering doubts about Bitcoin’s classification as a security, which had been a point of contention in the past, especially with the XRP lawsuit.
However, Gensler did not clearly classify it as a commodity. The absence of a direct answer to Bitcoin’s commodity status has added more complexity to the landscape of crypto regulations and could have far-reaching implications for the cryptocurrency market.
The SEC’s Ongoing Crackdown
The SEC has recently intensified its regulatory actions against the digital asset industry. This crackdown has been met with a flurry of legal debates surrounding Bitcoin’s legal standing and has raised concerns about the SEC’s approach to other cryptocurrencies.
Gensler’s firm belief that many cryptocurrencies should be treated as securities, thereby subject to U.S. securities laws, has not wavered despite losses such as the XRP lawsuit, where the judge ruled that XRP was not a security.
Read Also: SEC Chair Gensler Testifies in Senate, Speaks In Relation To Ripple and XRP: Here’s the Summary
Just as the testimony shared before the hearing shows, Gensler continues to assert the necessity of applying traditional securities laws to the crypto asset securities market. He cites a prevailing issue of non-compliance within the industry.
Gensler’s unyielding stance has drawn criticism, and questions about transparency have been raised regarding Gensler’s interactions with FTX, the now-defunct crypto exchange, and its founder, Sam Bankman-Fried. Congressman Patrick McHenry pointed to these dealings as part of a broader issue concerning trust and transparency from the SEC.
While the congressional hearing showcased growing bipartisan cooperation on crypto-related bills, the crypto community remains uncertain of the future. The crypto industry wants regulatory clarity, and explicit directives will help determine the industry’s future.
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