The US Securities and Exchange Commission has officially dismissed its lawsuit with Coinbase on Feb. 27, filings show, ending the case permanently. The crypto exchange announced an agreement to end the legal dispute on Feb. 21.
The SEC agreed to voluntarily dismiss all litigation tied to Coinbase with prejudice, which included withdrawing from the lawsuit and its request for an interlocutory appeal with the US Court of Appeals, the SEC’s Feb. 27 filing shows.
Source: Inner City Press
The SEC said “the dismissal will facilitate the Commission’s ongoing efforts to reform and renew its regulatory approach to the crypto industry.”
Under the former Gary Gensler-led commission, the SEC adopted a strict, regulation by enforcement approach to crypto, which saw Coinbase and other industry heavyweights hit with unexpected lawsuits.
“It’s time for the Commission to rectify its approach and develop crypto policy in a more transparent manner,” the SEC’s Acting Chair Mark Uyeda said.
Since US President Donald Trump was inaugurated on Jan. 20, the SEC established a Crypto Task Force led by SEC commissioner Hester Peirce to support this new approach.
The SEC’s decision to drop Coinbase’s lawsuit follows earlier ones from Consensys, Robinhood, Gemini, Uniswap and OpenSea over the last week.
Coinbase was sued by the SEC in June 2023 when Gary Gensler served as SEC chair, alleging that Coinbase was never registered as a broker, national securities exchange, or clearing agency, while also evading disclosure scheme for securities markets.
The SEC also claimed that Coinbase listed over a dozen crypto tokens it deemed to be securities, including Solana (SOL) and Cardano (ADA).
This is a developing story, and further information will be added as it becomes available.
