SEC Chair Gensler’s 2018 video renews crypto security debate
A 12-second video from 2018 featuring ex-MIT professor and current Securities and Exchange Commission Chair, Gensler, discussing which cryptocurrencies unambiguously do not qualify as securities sparks renewed debate over the issue. While Gensler mentions Bitcoin, Ether, Litecoin, and Bitcoin Cash as coins that are not securities, the wider implications of his video implies that the majority of the cryptocurrency ecosystem is not violating securities laws. This viewpoint reinforces that Genlser was broadly pro-crypto before he joined the SEC. As a result, Gensler’s previous statements have led to speculation about the seemingly sudden change in his position.