The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has closed the investigation into Robinhood a month since the $45 million settlement.
The termination of the probe comes less than a year after the SEC enforcement division served the online brokerage firm with a Wells notice.
In a Friday, Feb 21 communication, the SEC informed Robinhood of the decision to terminate the investigation and rule out further enforcement actions.
SEC Drops Robinhood Probe
Robinhood confirmed this development in its Monday, Feb 24 statement where the compliance and corporate affairs executive Dan Gallagher said the SEC should not retract the decision and reopen the investigations. The executive reiterated that Robinhood Crypto prioritizes compliance with federal securities laws and never permits securities-based transactions.
Robinhood’s crypto operations attracted scrutiny of the securities regulator on May 4 last year when the SEC issued a Wells notice. The SEC conveyed the preliminary determination to suggest enforcement actions alleging securities violations.
Robinhood had on Jan 13 reached a 45-million settlement with the Commission over the accusation of contravening over 10 securities laws. The settlement featured the order in which the trading platform admitted to certain findings alleged by the SEC.
Robinhood hailed the move by the SEC to end the investigation and urged the agency to drop the regulation by enforcement. The trading platform echoed other market participants supporting the policy shift aided by the newly established crypto task force that aims to create more precise guidelines for digital assets.
Shifting SEC Approach to Crypto
The shift in SEC’s approach to digital assets is attributed to the policy shift under the President Donald Trump administration. The participative approach adopted by the SEC under interim chair Mark Uyeda contrasts the regulation-by-enforcement approach during Gary Gensler’s tenure under the Biden administration.
The changes coincide with Trump’s return to the White House on Jan 20, with the SEC establishing the Crypto Task Force tasked with regulatory reforms to the digital assets industry.
The pro-crypto SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce is steering the task force and recently, in an interview with Yahoo Finance, vowed to clean the wrongs made by Gensler leadership.
Besides Robinhood, the SEC has paused the lawsuit against crypto exchange Binance. Last week, the federal agency entered a principle-in-agreement with Coinbase to end the case due for the Commissioners’ vote later this week.
Former SEC staff John Stark projects that the enforcement actions that the SEC leveled against major industry players, including Ripple, Binance, and Coinbase, could become dead in the water. This observation comes after the SEC sought a 28-day extension to respond to the Coinbase petition in the lawsuit against the trading platform.
Stark indicated that all crypto-related appeals, including the multi-year-long Ripple battle, could pause and likely be withdrawn.
Crypto Regulation Clarity
The change of tone at the SEC is mainly due to the new administration, which has sparked new optimism across the crypto sector. Commissioner Peirce informed Yahoo Finance on Friday that she eyes delivering greater clarity for the digital assets industry. She decried Washington, D.C.’s unfair and inconsistent treatment of crypto.
Peirce’s pronouncement aligns with Stark’s view that clarity on the legal framework is a priority for the SEC. This would save the sector burden of hiring defense lawyers and the fear of litigation that hangs over various crypto projects.
As the head of the task force, Peirce is likely to influence the policy direction at the SEC. Like Mark Uyeda’s case, the industry cheered on her appointment, with many profiling her as the “crypto mom.”
Peirce emphasized on Friday the need for a solution where the public and key stakeholders in the industry can approach the SEC. A participative platform is set to facilitate greater regulatory clarity.
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