Kraken again asks to dismiss SEC lawsuit, citing incorrect wording

As a seasoned crypto investor who has been closely following the developments in the digital asset space, I cannot help but feel frustrated and concerned about the ongoing legal battle between Kraken and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).


The ongoing dispute between the Kraken crypto exchange and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) escalates further with fresh declarations from the digital asset trading platform.

According to Bloomberg’s latest report, Kraken, the cryptocurrency exchange, has penned a new letter to the regulatory body in question, alleging that their arguments in the accusations against the company have been misconstrued. As an analyst, I would interpret this as Kraken claiming that the regulator’s reasoning behind the charges is flawed or inaccurate.

As a researcher examining Kraken’s argument against the SEC, I’ve noticed an intriguing point: Kraken maintains that the SEC employed terms like “investment concept” and “ecosystem” in place of “investment contract” and “enterprise” in their arguments. The platform asserts that because of this linguistic distinction, no identifiable investment contracts were found on Kraken that could be bought, sold, or settled.

As a seasoned crypto investor, I understand that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has made it clear that the label on a financial instrument does not definitively determine its nature as a security. Instead, they look at the actions and economic realities surrounding the investment. This approach ensures a nuanced understanding of securities law.

Last November, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a lawsuit against Kraken, claiming that the company had been conducting unlicensed securities exchange activities since 2018. The complaint alleges that Kraken functioned as an exchange, broker, dealer, and clearing agency without obtaining the necessary authorization, amassing hundreds of millions of dollars in revenues during this period. Furthermore, there was a risk of commingling client funds with Kraken’s assets, which could result in financial losses for both parties.

The SEC’s filing proposes a permanent ban for Kraken to continue operating without registration as a cryptocurrency exchange. Furthermore, the regulatory body mandated that Kraken pays a penalty and restitutes some ill-gotten gains.

In the month of June 2023, cryptocurrency trading platforms Binance and Coinbase found themselves under similar scrutiny from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Similar allegations were levied against these exchanges as those made against Kraken – namely, that they had breached securities laws.

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2024-05-10 17:06