SEC doesn’t want Ethereum to transform banking landscape, says Joseph Lubin

As a researcher with a background in finance and technology, I find Joseph Lubin’s perspective on the SEC’s actions towards Ethereum and Consensys deeply concerning. Lubin’s experience as a co-founder of Ethereum and CEO of Consensys, along with his insights into the regulatory environment, add credibility to his accusations.


According to Ethereum co-founder Joseph Lubin, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) may be deliberately obstructing progress in areas of innovation that could potentially disrupt the current financial system in the US.

At FT Live’s Crypto and Digital Asset summit in London, Lubin explained why ConsenSys took legal action against the SEC following the receipt of a warning letter from the US securities regulatory body.

According to Lubin, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) seems to have privately reclassified Ether as a security without making this announcement public. Instead of engaging in open dialogue and establishing clear rules, the SEC is reportedly pursuing a planned sequence of enforcement actions.

The CEO of ConsenSys, the company behind MetaMask wallet, expressed concern that regulatory actions are intended to instill fear, apprehension, and confusion within the cryptocurrency sector as a means to immobilize the firm and potentially drive it overseas.

SEC doesn’t want Ethereum to transform banking landscape, says Joseph Lubin

Lubin stated that their response to the SEC’s actions aims to seek greater clarification from American courts regarding Ethereum (ETH), in light of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) designating it as a commodity prior to this.

Timing is suspicious

As a researcher examining the recent developments in the crypto sphere, I’ve come across an intriguing observation made by Consensys CEO, Joseph Lubin. He pointed out that the approaching decision deadline from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding the approval of Ether spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) is a significant factor influencing the regulator’s increased enforcement efforts against Ethereum.

Lubin expressed his belief that there would be a great deal of effort put forth by them, should they find themselves denying the approval of the Ether-linked Spot ETFs, to demonstrate that their decision was not hasty or arbitrary.

Lubin mentioned that the SEC had observed a significant influx of capital into the Bitcoin ecosystem after granting approval for spot Bitcoin ETFs.

“I think they’re concerned that so much attention and capital will flow to our ecosystem, considering it is improving enormously in terms of scalability and usability.”

Lubin expressed the possibility that the shift of customers’ assets towards digital formats utilizing decentralized finance structures might alarm numerous banks and financial institutions.

As a crypto investor, I can interpret that statement as follows: “From my perspective, the SEC might not be keen on a surge of groundbreaking innovations that could significantly reshape the market.”

Why Consensys needs to win the case

A favorable resolution with the SEC could significantly impact the future of cryptocurrencies and technology in the United States.

As a crypto investor, I strongly disagree with the SEC’s assertion that Coinbase and MetaMask’s wallets function as broker-dealers. This perspective sets a hazardous precedent in the crypto space. In my opinion, it’s an absurd concept for software to be considered a broker-dealer.

“Lubin expressed opposition to the idea that MetaMask users should be required to register as broker-dealers. Such a requirement would be discouraging for MetaMask users.”

The CEO of ConsenSys believed that the decisions made by the U.S. securities regulatory body could significantly affect the entire tech industry in the country.

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2024-05-09 17:25