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The SEC Can Learn From the IRS in Making Regulation Simpler for Crypto

Published

1 день ago

2 мая, 2025

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In February, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) began soliciting public input pertaining to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) — a move suggesting reform at the agency is imminent.

Since then, the SEC, in line with President Trump, has taken a far less adversarial stance towards the cryptocurrency industry, as evidenced by the appointment of crypto-friendly personnel and the abandonment of numerous lawsuits and investigations into crypto companies. But DOGE has the potential to implement further change, and interest in the SEC signals growing pressure towards regulators to reassess their approach to digital assets.

In response to the request for public input, Paul Grewal, Chief Legal Officer at Coinbase — one of the companies no longer facing a lawsuit from the SEC — proposed a policy requiring the SEC to reimburse legal costs for companies that successfully challenge enforcement efforts. The motivation for his suggestion is obvious, but the impact of DOGE on crypto will likely be a bit broader.

As Joel Khalili summarized in Wired, the SEC’s recent retreat from lawsuits represents “an early signal of the agency’s intent to work arm in arm with the industry to come up with a set of rules to govern crypto transactions and products.”

As things currently stand, the SEC’s lack of proactive guidance makes it difficult for businesses to plan long-term compliance strategies, and their enforcement actions often come after years of operation, leaving companies and their investors exposed to unforeseen legal risks. Going forward, this will likely change.

Clear Compliance Over Reactive Enforcement

Relying on enforcement instead of proactive guidance has forced companies like Coinbase, Ripple, and Celsius to spend millions in litigation to clarify their regulatory standing. But in one case against Debt Box, the SEC admitted to inaccuracies in its statements, leading a court to order the SEC to cover the company’s legal expenses — a preview of Coinbase’s suggestion. The ruling cast doubt on the agency’s credibility and highlighted concerns over its enforcement practices.

In the future, expect to see regulatory agencies – including the SEC – under increased pressure to align with the U.S. Treasury’s approach, which prioritizes clear compliance pathways over reactive enforcement. The Treasury’s digital asset guidelines are far more structured and address key areas like tax reporting, compliance and AML measures. Standardized definitions of what constitutes a security in the crypto space are essential for helping companies structure their products appropriately from the outset.

A Balancing Act

In addition to taking notes from the Treasury, the SEC can also look to the IRS for inspiration. A “safe harbor” provision for early-stage projects could encourage innovation while ensuring compliance over time, similar to proposals previously discussed by SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce. The IRS already embraced this approach, issuing temporary transitional relief for crypto taxpayers in January 2025.

The IRS historically relied on voluntary disclosure programs to bring taxpayers into compliance rather than imposing punitive actions upfront. A similar model should be applied to crypto regulation as well.

While some people assume regulation inherently hinders innovation, the opposite can be true. This is because clearly defined guardrails will entice more risk-averse entities to enter the ecosystem and help it grow. A light regulatory touch requires robust backend enforcement and can lead to unnecessary friction between regulators and businesses.

Altogether, better coordination between the SEC, Treasury, and IRS would help prevent regulatory conflicts and streamline compliance obligations for digital asset companies and stakeholders. The Treasury’s digital asset guidelines already offer a strong foundation for this type of cross-agency alignment. The current regulatory uncertainty and the SEC’s reactive enforcement approach stifles growth, while a clearer, more coordinated framework would benefit the entire ecosystem.

The Bottom Line

Between the DOGE’s request for input, the new administration’s broader commitment to digital asset reform, and Coinbase’s proposal, the stage is set for reforms aiming to make regulatory oversight more predictable. While we are in the early stages of the new administration, changes are already occurring at a staggering pace. It’s clear that DOGE’s influence on SEC policies will make an impact – especially with public discourse on these issues further strengthening the case for clearer guidelines rather than regulation by enforcement.

Of course, it’s worth noting that DOGE’s plans for the SEC will likely extend beyond crypto, just as efforts to regulate the industry extend beyond the SEC. Ultimately, it would be beneficial for the new administration, in conjunction with Congress, to create a legislative framework for the industry, so enterprises and individual taxpayers alike understand what constitutes a commodity, security, and digital asset. In other words, we must learn to walk before we run. In the meantime, the SEC should adopt a strategy that can foster growth while maintaining investor protections.

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Gold-Backed Crypto Minting Volume Hits 3-Year High as Central Bank Buying Drops

Published

4 часа ago

3 мая, 2025

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The gold market is seeing a shift in activity, with central bank buying slowing and demand from exchange-traded funds and gold-backed cryptocurrencies growing. The latter recently moved to a three-year high, as measured by the net minting volume for tokens backed by the precious metal.

Over $80 million worth of these tokens were minted over the past month, according to data from rwa.xyz. That boost helped push the sector’s market cap up 6% to $1.43 billion. Meanwhile, monthly transfer volume rose 77% to $1.27 billion, marking a sharp resurgence of interest in digital representations of the precious metal.

The rise in token activity mirrors a broader trend in the gold market.

The World Gold Council’s latest report shows that total gold demand in the first quarter of the year reached 1,206 tonnes—a 1% year-over-year increase and the strongest first quarter since 2016. The surge came despite a slowdown in central bank purchases, which fell to 244 tonnes, down from 365 tonnes in the fourth quarter.

Gold ETFs played a central role in the shift. Investment demand has more than doubled to 552 tonnes, suggesting investors are moving into the precious metal, a move central banks are known for historically.

Those inflows helped push the average quarterly price of gold to a record $2,860 per ounce, up 38% from the previous year. Yet the price dipped 2.35% last week, after rising 23.5% year-to-date, while risk assets, including cryptocurrencies, rose. Spot gold is currently trading at $3,240.

While traditional gold demand, such as jewelry, saw a downturn—dropping to pandemic-era lows—bar and coin demand stayed elevated, especially in China.

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A Tiny Company Wants to Buy $20M TRUMP Token to Change U.S.-Mexico Trade Deals

Published

6 часов ago

3 мая, 2025

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Freight Technologies (FRGT), a $4.8 million market cap logistics tech firm focused on cross-border trade between the U.S. and Mexico, has entered an agreement to buy up to $20 million in the Official Trump Token (TRUMP) to build out its crypto treasury.

The company said it secured the funding through a convertible note facility with an institutional investor, with an initial $1 million tranche already committed. The capital will be used solely to acquire TRUMP tokens, making it one of the first publicly listed companies to do so.

The decision follows a separate investment in AI-linked FET tokens currently valued at $8 million, which the company says supports AI tools used across its logistics platforms.

Buying digital assets for publicly traded companies isn’t a new strategy.

Michael Saylor championed it with a bitcoin strategy, and others, such as Semler Scientific (SMLR), followed through. Most recently, Cantor (CEP) is making a splash with huge dry powder to do the same. Meanwhile, companies such as Sol Strategies (HODL) and Janover (JNVR) are buying up SOL tokens to give investors exposure to the cryptocurrency.

The trend is also picking up in Japan, where hotel firm Metaplanet has recently hit 5,000 BTC on its balance sheet and issued $25 million in bonds to fund additional purchases. Smaller firms, including Value Creation, Remixpoint, NEXON, Anap Holdings, and WEMADE are also accumulating the cryptocurrency.

However, Freight’s mandate is slightly different: to influence the U.S.-Mexico trade deal amid President Trump’s all-out trade war.

«We believe that the addition of the Official Trump tokens are an excellent way to diversify our crypto treasury, and also an effective way to advocate for fair, balanced, and free trade between Mexico and the US,» Javier Selgas, the company’s CEO, said in a press release on April 30.

While such a strategy could help a company such as Freight, influencing presidential decisions by buying a memecoin could bring up the question of conflict of interest. Just recently, Trump said he will hold a private dinner with top token holders, drawing outcry from Democratic lawmakers, who cited the president’s involvement with the token as potential grounds for impeachment.

On April 25, Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) pointed to the crypto project offering its top holders an invitation to a dinner event with President Trump, calling it a clear case of selling access to the presidency.

For Freight, whose stock price plunged nearly 90% in the last 12 months and is heavily tied to cross-border trading, it seems this might be the best way to keep share prices afloat.

“At the heart of Fr8Tech’s mission is the promotion of productive and active commerce between the United States and Mexico. Mexico is the United States’ top goods trading partner, with Mexico being the leading destination for US exports and the top source for US imports,» Selgas added.

After announcing the move, Freight Technologies’ shares jumped over 111% before the closing bell on Friday. However, in after-hours trading, the stock plunged 21.6%.

Freight Technologies’ product lineup includes a suite of applications, ranging from cross-border freight booking to transportation management, all aimed at modernizing the flow of goods in North America.

Other companies have made investments in the crypto space linked to the U.S. President. Last month, DWF Labs invested $25 million in the decentralized finance protocol backed by Trump and his family, World Liberty Financial (WLFI), as it moved to establish a physical presence in the U.S.

The investment gives DWF Labs a governance stake in the project, which has been accumulating various cryptocurrencies and is set to soon launch a stablecoin backed by short-term U.S. Treasury bills and other cash equivalents, called USD1.

TRUMP tokens are trading at $12.7, up just 0.1% for the day and 42% in the last 30 days.

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Arizona Governor Calls Crypto an ‘Untested Investment,’ Vetoes Bitcoin Reserve Bill

Published

7 часов ago

3 мая, 2025

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Arizona will not be investing in bitcoin (BTC), at least not this year.

Governor Katie Hobbs vetoed a bill on Friday that would have allowed the state to hold the digital asset as part of its official reserves.

The legislation, known as Senate Bill 1025, proposed using seized funds to invest in BTC and create a digital assets reserve managed by the state. After passing the state House in a narrow 31–25 vote, the bill reached Hobbs’ desk, where it was swiftly struck down.

“The Arizona State Retirement System is one of the strongest in the nation because it makes sound and informed investments. Arizonans’ retirement funds are not the place for the state to try untested investments like virtual currencу,” Hobbs wrote in a statement.

The veto ends a push that could have made Arizona the first state to set up a cryptocurrency reserve, and it could have even outpaced the U.S. Treasury Department in doing so.