SEC Rebuked for Breaking Law With Crypto Disclosure Policy

2023-11-1 15:00

The US Government Accountability Office (GAO) said the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) illegally directed banks to include customers’ crypto holdings on their balance sheets. The GAO ruled that the Staff Accounting Bulletin 121 (bulletin) should have followed due process for new rules as outlined in the Congressional Review Act (CRA).

The GAO overruled the SEC’s assertion that the bulletin provided “interpretive guidance” rather than a new rule. The SEC had previously argued that the rule was not subject to the Congressional Review Act because it was not an “agency statement” of “future effect.”

GAO Disputes SEC Mitigation

The CRA requires that a government agency submit a report on a proposed rule to the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as the Comptroller General. It also offers a way forward if Congress disagrees with the new rule.

The GAO contests that the SEC bulletin was an agency statement because it was published on the SEC’s public-facing website. This meant it reflected the views of SEC employees. Moreover, the bulletin was “of future effect” because it guides certain entities on how to protect crypto assets they may need to hold on behalf of clients at some point in the future.

Read more: 9 Crypto Wallet Security Tips To Safeguard Your Assets

“From this, we ascertain that the SEC intended the Bulletin’s guidance to apply prospectively to covered entities’ future accounting and disclosure practices.”

The GAO also said that the bulletin contained policy because it revealed the SEC’s preferences with respect to crypto disclosure and custody. Given the SEC’s mandate to police disclosure requirements, GAO says it is reasonable to assume that affected entities would have taken action to comply.

In conclusion, the GAO said the bulletin is now subject to the CRA’s submission requirements.

SEC Crypto Enforcement Blitz Hits Roadblocks

Several commentators said the GAO’s ruling proved the SEC broke the law as it sought to crack down on the crypto industry last year. The SEC issued the bulletin on March 31, 2022, around five months after the crypto bull market peaked.

Bitcoin peaked five months before SEC Rule. Source: TradingView

Pro-crypto SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce criticized the bulletin as a “scattershot and inefficient” approach to crypto. Ripple Labs’ legal head, Stuart Alderoty, commented that the ruling was poetic because it revealed that the SEC had become a “Wild West,” a term the agency’s chairman Gary Gensler used to describe crypto.

Read more: Everything You Need To Know About Ripple vs SEC

Earlier this year, Coinbase, a US-based exchange, recently argued that Congress is unlikely to allow agencies like the SEC to unanimously make new rules on matters of political or economic importance. The SEC sued Coinbase for offering securities not registered under the Securities Act of 1933.

Traditional investment managers also criticized the SEC for its new product naming rules. They question the additional compliance overhead required to refine traditional definitions of bonds and equities.

Do you have something to say about the US GAO ruling on the SEC violation of US Congress rules or anything else? Please write to us or join the discussion on our Telegram channel. You can also catch us on TikTok, Facebook, or X (Twitter).

The post SEC Rebuked for Breaking Law With Crypto Disclosure Policy appeared first on BeInCrypto.

Similar to Notcoin - Blum - Airdrops In 2024

origin »

Emerald Crypto (EMD) на Currencies.ru

$ 0 (+0.00%)
Объем 24H $0
Изменеия 24h: 0.00 %, 7d: 4.67 %
Cегодня L: $0 - H: $0
Капитализация $0 Rank 99999
Цена в час новости $ 0.0095806 (-100%)

sec policy rebuked disclosure crypto breaking law

sec policy → Результатов: 60


Lawmakers from both parties urge Gensler to approve spot Bitcoin ETF ‘immediately’

Four members of Congress have dispatched a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) today calling for immediate approval of a spot Bitcoin Exchange-Traded Fund (ETF). The letter argues that the SEC’s recent appeals court loss to Grayscale Investments underscores the untenability and unlawfulness of the agency’s existing policy of rejecting such ETFs.

2023-9-27 23:50


SEC Chair Gensler Faces Scrutiny Over Crypto Policy From Congress, Mark This Date

Following recent actions by US authorities against the US crypto industry, Operation Choke Point 2.0 has become more apparent than ever. At the center of the campaign is the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which recently sent a Well Notice to Coinbase and brought forth a lawsuit against crypto mogul Justin Sun over fraud […]

2023-3-29 10:45


SEC Chair Says $2.2T Crypto Industry Is At A Level That It Must Be Within A “Public Policy Framework”

According to Gary Gensler, who is set to testify before the European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs on Wednesday regarding crypto, DeFi isn’t really a new concept. It has “a fair amount of centralization” as such regulators can exercise authority over these decentralized platforms.

2021-9-1 16:37


Сообщество просит кандидата на пост главы SEC прекратить гонения на Ripple

Юрист Томас Ходж попросил Гэри Генслера разобраться в деле против Ripple после его назначения на пост председателя SEC. Crypto & Policy founder Thomas Hodge launches petition to incoming SEC Chair Gary Gensler to "STOP THE WAR ON #XRP" and to begin an investigation into Clayton and Hinman's possible financial motives for favoring #BTC and #ETH […]

2021-4-9 09:29


Сообщество призвало Гэри Генслера прекратить судебный процесс против Ripple

Юрист Томас Ходж попросил Гэри Генслера разобраться в деле против Ripple после его назначения на пост председателя SEC. Crypto & Policy founder Thomas Hodge launches petition to incoming SEC Chair Gary Gensler to "STOP THE WAR ON #XRP" and to begin an investigation into Clayton and Hinman's possible financial motives for favoring #BTC and #ETH and harming #XRP in office.

2021-4-9 20:51