Senior SEC Staffer Says Bitcoin, Ether Are Not Securities

Digital currencies themselves do not qualify as investment contracts, regulator says, but could when packaged.

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Speaking at a conference organized by Yahoo in San Francisco on June 14, a senior figure from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said that the regulator would not be classifying ether or bitcoin, two of the most popular cryptocurrencies, as securities. The statement, made by William Hinman, director of the division of corporation finance at the SEC, put to bed one of the most pressing questions in cryptocurrencies.

“Putting aside the fundraising that accompanied the creation of

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