Kik Interactive, the embattled Canadian messaging startup, seems to have finally reached a settlement deal with the SEC regarding its illegal ICO back in 2017. Since the summer of 2019, the two parties in court have gone back and forth, with the latest ruling by a New York judge, favoring the SEC.

With barely three weeks since the ruling, the SEC has now proposed that Kik should settle with a fine of $5 million with the market watchdog. Kik’s ICO had raised a total of $100 million, intended for a crypto network dubbed ‘KIN.’ This was, however, cut short by the SEC, which sought to pursue Kik on account of issuing an illegal security.

According to the SEC's court document, the two parties have agreed on a proposed judgment and are now seeking the court’s approval. Other than the $5 million in penalties, Kik will be required to give a 45-day notice if they want to launch another Kin token sale. The document states,

“The proposed Final Judgment, if approved by the Court, would permanently enjoin Kik from committing future violations of Section 5, according to Section 20(b) of the Securities Act of 1933, 15 U.S.C. § 77t(b); impose a conduct-based injunction, as outlined in the proposed Final Judgment, under Section 21(d)(5) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, 15 U.S.C. § 78u(d)(5); and require Kik to pay a penalty of $5 million, under Section 20(d) of the Securities Act, 15 U.S.C. § 77t(d). The proposed Final Judgment would conclude this action.”

Unlike Telegram, which had a similar encounter with the SEC, Kik has not been obliged to return its investors’ funds. This means that the project’s tokenization dreams could be realized despite the SEC's 16-month long legal battle. Notably, Kik has previously argued that its Kin token was sold based on its underlying utility instead of a speculative nature suggested by the SEC.

If the court approved the proposed judgment, Kik would only settle for $5 million; this amount is equivalent to what they collected during their fundraising initiative dubbed ‘Defend Crypto’ Campaign. Other ‘illegal’ ICOs like EOS and Telegram have had it a bit rougher, with each settling at $24 million and $18 million, respectively.

The post SEC Proposes Million Settlement in Kik’s 0 Million Initial Coin Offering (ICO) for KIN first appeared on BitcoinExchangeGuide.

Similar to Notcoin - Blum - Airdrops In 2024

origin »

253 +