The SEC has informed Bloom Protocol that it registers the BLT token as a security or faces a $31 million fine. The altcoin chose to settle with the SEC without accepting or rejecting the commission’s findings. After that, the altcoin price crashed. Meanwhile, the SEC’s new proposal will require asset managers with a net worth of over $500 million to declare their crypto holdings.
SEC tells Bloom Protocol ‘save or pay’
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has sent an acceptance and rejection letter to Bloom Protocol (BLT). In this context, the SEC required it to register its tokens as securities or pay a fine of up to $31 million. In an 18-page letter sent on August 9, the SEC accused Bloom of violating the Securities Act by offering BLT tokens through an initial cryptocurrency offering (ICO) between November 14, 2017 and January 2, 2018.
The SEC also noted that the crypto startup has raised $30.9 million from 7,358 investors worldwide. He said that the firm must issue a refund to those who purchased the BLT token before January 2, 2018. Failure to do so meant that the firm would have to pay all fines to the SEC.
Bloom agrees to register with SEC, altcoin price crashes
As we reported on Kriptokoin.com, the SEC has announced that Bloom has agreed to register BLT as securities. In this context, it will hire an auditor to initiate the audit of altcoin assets. It will also hire full-time employees to quickly monitor the audit and compliance required prior to enrollment.
According to the commission, participants in the ICO purchased BLT “on the reasonable expectation of making a future profit based on Bloom’s efforts to use the proceeds from the proposal to build an online authentication system that will increase the value of the token on crypto-asset trading platforms.” According to the SEC, BLT qualifies as unregistered securities because it is not registered with the commission and does not meet these exemption requirements.
Bloom Protocol was launched in 2017. Protocol aims to revolutionize the credit scoring industry using Blockchain technology. BLT price crashed after the news. The altcoin, which recovered a bit at press time, is trading at $0.1776, down 30.94% in the last 24 hours.
SEC and CFTC ask private funds to report crypto assets
New crypto reporting requirements for large private fund managers may be on the way. The SEC released a statement today saying it voted to propose changes to Form PF. The changes will intensify the scrutiny applied to large private wealth managers. It will also require them to disclose their cryptocurrency positions, among other information. In the statement, it was stated that the SEC, as well as the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, focused on supporting the changes.
The proposal also requires firms to report on borrowing and lending regulations, other market risks and investment strategies, as part of a broader effort to monitor the private wealth management industry for systemic risks. The proposal will require firms to report their risks through Form PF, which was created in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis to help regulators monitor private wealth management markets for bubbles and other stability risks. The data collected from the form will then be used by the SEC and the Federal Reserve to publish aggregated statistics about the industry. The proposal will also review and expand Form PF itself.
The SEC said the new reporting requirements will apply to firms with a net worth of at least $500 million. According to SEC chairman Gary Gensler, the purpose of the new reporting requirements will be to monitor markets that are normally hidden for excessive positioning, bubbles and other systemic risks that could affect the overall financial industry. “I am pleased to support the proposal,” Gensler said in a statement. “Because if adopted, it will improve the quality of the information we receive from all Form PF fillers, with a particular focus on large hedge fund advisors.”
While not limited to the crypto industry, the move is consistent with what many perceive as a growing hawk against crypto on behalf of the SEC, particularly Gensler. While the CFTC itself is a contender for the regulatory body with which cryptocurrency can ultimately be regulated, this development shows that government agencies can be compliant on how large funds should report cryptocurrency holdings.
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