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Homepage > News > Business > This week in crypto: Behind SEC’s new hands-off approach This week, the digital currency industry had arguably four big wins, as the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) dropped lawsuits and investigations into major players, including Coinbase (NASDAQ: COINBASE), Robinhood Crypto (NASDAQ: HOOD), Uniswap, and the non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace OpenSea. Coinbase: In June 2023, the SEC sued Coinbase, alleging that it had been operating as an unregistered broker, exchange, and clearing agency since 2019. The commission claimed that the company violated federal securities laws by facilitating unregistered securities trading. After over a year of legal battles, the SEC dismissed the case on February 21, 2025. Robinhood Crypto: In May 2024, Robinhood received a Wells Notice—a formal warning from the SEC that it was considering enforcement action against the company’s crypto operations. However, the SEC abruptly closed it’s investigation on February 24, 2025. Uniswap Labs: Uniswap Labs received a Wells Notice in April 2024, with allegations that it was operating as an unregistered securities broker and exchange. But on February 25, 2025, the SEC dropped it’s investigation into Uniswap. OpenSea: Similarly, OpenSea, one of the largest NFT marketplaces, was notified in August 2024 that the SEC was investigating whether certain NFTs on its platform should be classified as securities, but the SEC discontinued the investigation on February 21, 2025. Each of these companies spent years and millions of dollars in legal fees battling the SEC. Now, seemingly overnight, the regulatory threats they faced have vanished. So, what changed? There’s been a major shift in the SEC’s approach to crypto regulation, and while this might seem like a win for digital asset companies, the reality is much more complex. The SEC’s crypto policy shift Under former SEC Chair Gary Gensler, the agency took an aggressive stance…

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Filed under: News - @ February 28, 2025 2:27 pm