Immutable pledges to fight after SEC ‘sprayed and prayed’ Wells notice

As a seasoned analyst with a decade of experience navigating the complexities of regulatory compliance within the crypto space, I find myself increasingly intrigued by the SEC’s latest moves. The Wells notice served to Immutable is yet another instance of a seemingly widespread crackdown on the industry, which seems more like a game of whack-a-mole than a deliberate and strategic enforcement action.


The crypto gaming platform, Immutable, has vowed to challenge any possible regulatory action by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission following the receipt of a Wells Notice from them.

In a November 1st statement, I, as an analyst, report that Immutable asserted that while the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) did not explicitly detail their accusations in the notice, they believe the agency’s claims primarily focus on the “listing and private sales” of their native IMX token in 2021.

Immutable pledges to fight after SEC ‘sprayed and prayed’ Wells notice

Multiple firms had received Wells notices this year, including OpenSea, Crypto.com, and Uniswap.

After receiving the Wells notice, the gaming platform quickly had a ten-minute conversation with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

During the call, the SEC claimed that a blog post published by Immutable in 2021, stating an investment made prior to launch in the IMX token for $0.10, which was issued at a “pre-split price of $10 (100:1)” was incorrect and gave the impression that no value was exchanged between the parties.

Immutable responded by saying, ‘It seems the SEC has made another mistake: there was indeed genuine consideration involved, a fact they could have discovered through a more open conversation with our company.’

A Wells Notice, in simpler terms, is a formal document sent by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to inform an organization or entity that they are being investigated for potential breaches of securities laws. This notice usually signifies that the SEC has concluded its investigation and found evidence suggesting violations of these laws.

Furthermore, Immutable expressed significant dissatisfaction over how the regulatory body delivered the Wells notice, stating that the notice was unexpectedly presented with minimal advance notice.

Before receiving a Wells notice, there is typically a lengthy period involving numerous discussions and meetings between a company’s legal team and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), during which the SEC gathers information to thoroughly grasp the circumstances, as stated by Immutable.

“Instead, in our very first interaction with the SEC, we were told a Wells notice would be issued to the company within the week. We then received it within hours.”

Responding to a possible regulatory action, Immutable expressed confidence in their stance and stated they are ready to vigorously defend themselves.

In their statement, Immutable expressed confidence that, contrary to the SEC’s broad assertion that many tokens in the industry are classified as securities, the IMX token does not fall under this category.

The gaming platform stated that the SEC had taken a shotgun approach in their legal action by not only suing CEO James Ferguson, but also sending a Wells notice to the Digital World’s Foundation, which is the parent organization behind the issuer of its native IMX token.

In just an hour, the value of the IMX token on the platform dropped by as much as 9%, likely due to the SEC’s actions. As per TradingView data, it is now being traded at approximately $1.20.

Immutable pledges to fight after SEC ‘sprayed and prayed’ Wells notice

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2024-11-01 03:28