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The latest unfolding in the crypto market has seen some of the giants in the industry under scrutiny. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has made a striking move against Binance, one of the world’s leading crypto exchanges, alleging multiple violations of federal securities laws.
SEC vs. Binance: A Maelstrom of Allegations
At the heart of the controversy is Binance’s offering of unregistered securities to the public, including its native BNB token and the Binance-linked BUSD stablecoin.
The SEC’s lawsuit states that Binance has allowed the trading of crypto assets that are, in essence, securities. These include, but are not limited to:
- Binance Coin (BNB)
- Binance USD (BUSD)
- Solana (SOL)
- Cardano (ADA),
- Polygon (MATIC)
- Cosmos (ATOM)
- Filecoin (FIL)
- SandBox (SAND)
- Decentraland (MANA)
- Algorand (ALGO)
- Axie Infinity (AXS)
- COTI (COTI)
The news has caused commotion among crypto enthusiasts. Over the past hour, a significant sell-off generated over $210 million worth of liquidations across the board.
The SEC also accuses Binance of violating securities laws through its staking service. Per the lawsuit, Binance permitted the co-mingling of customer funds, a practice that typically contradicts standard financial regulations.
The stakes are high for Binance and its founder, Changpeng “CZ” Zhao. The lawsuit alleges that Zhao was clandestinely controlling Binance.US, the American arm of the global crypto exchange.
Cardano, Solana, Polygon, and More Under Scrutiny
This lawsuit raises significant questions about the nature of crypto assets. As a matter of fact, the SEC’s stance suggests a broadening interpretation of what constitutes a security.
With crypto assets like SOL, ADA, MATIC, FIL, ATOM, SAND, MANA, ALGO, AXS, and COTI now potentially falling under this umbrella, the implications for the crypto industry are profound.
If these tokens are deemed securities, the exchanges offering them will face stringent regulatory requirements. Furthermore, this could potentially disrupt the current dynamics of the crypto market and impose new challenges for crypto exchanges and investors alike.
This is a developing story…