The Latest Guidance from the SEC on Cryptocurrencies as a Security

LawCast with Laura Anthony, Esq.

The Latest Guidance from the SEC on Cryptocurrencies as a Security- Today is the continuation in a LawCast series talking about the latest guidance from the SEC on cryptocurrencies as a security. On June 14, 2018, William Hinman, the Director of the SEC Division of Corporation Finance, gave a speech at Yahoo Finance’s All Markets Summit in which he made two huge revelations for the crypto marketplace. The first is that he believes a cryptocurrency issued in a securities offering could later be purchased and sold in transactions not subject to the securities laws. The second is that Ether and Bitcoin are not currently securities. Also, for the first time, Hinman gives the marketplace guidance on how to structure a token or coin such that it might not be a security.

Prior to Mr. Hinman’s comments, CorpFin issued comments to our clients, which comment letters gave an indication of the progression of the SEC’s thinking. In particular, in an earlier letter the SEC comment was in relevant part as follows:

We note that you will accept Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin or Bitcoin Cash as payment for your common stock. Please disclose the mechanics of the transaction. For example, explain the following:

• whether the digital assets are securities and, where you have determined they are, how you will structure each individual transaction so that you are in compliance with the federal securities laws;
• disclose how long the company would typically hold these digital assets, some of which may be securities, before converting to U.S. dollars;
• include risk factor disclosure discussing the impact of holding such assets and/or accepting this form of payment, including price volatility and liquidity risks as well as risks related to the fragmentation, potential for manipulation, and general lack of regulation underlying these digital asset markets; and
• disclose how you will hold the digital assets that you may receive in this offering as payment in exchange for shares of your common stock. If you intend to act as custodian of these digital assets, some of which may be securities, please tell us whether you intend to register as a custodian with state or federal regulators and the nature of the registration.

The comment letter included many other points on cybersecurity, price volatility, risk factors and other issues not related to whether the Bitcoin or Ether were a security. In a recent comment letter for a different client, also offering tokens in a Regulation A offering and accepting Bitcoin and Ether as payment, the SEC did not issue any questions as to whether Bitcoin or Ether were a security, but did include substantially the same questions related to cybersecurity, price volatility, risk factors and other business points.

The SEC CorpFin is pragmatic in its approach and despite frustrations at times, would not allow its Division Director to make public statements and then allow its staff to issue comments or take positions that were in direct contravention to those statements. Keep in mind that SEC no-action letters technically do not set precedence or have any legal bearing outside of the parties to the letter, but are regularly relied upon by the SEC and practitioners for guidance.