The recent lawsuits filed by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have shaken the cryptocurrency market, as several digital assets were designated securities. Algorand (ALGO) and Flow (FLOW) experienced significant price drops, reaching all-time lows following the SEC’s declaration. This article explores the aftermath of the SEC’s actions and how it affected ALGO, FLOW, Internet Computer (ICP), Solana (SOL), Cardano (ADA), and Polygon (MATIC). Additionally, we examine the defiant responses of the projects’ creators to the securities classification.
Price Declines and Subsequent Recovery:
On June 10, ALGO and FLOW plunged to their respective historic lows of $0.098 and $0.46, representing a drop of approximately 30% within the past week, according to data from CoinGecko. However, both tokens have managed to recover slightly since then. ALGO experienced a 12.5% increase, while FLOW recovered just over 10.5% as of June 10.
SEC Lawsuits and New Security Designations:
The SEC’s legal actions targeted prominent crypto exchanges Binance and Coinbase, labeling 16 additional cryptocurrencies as securities. FLOW and ICP were among the newly classified assets. ALGO, previously mentioned in the SEC’s lawsuit against Bittrex in April, was highlighted in the case against Binance. ICP also faced a decline of approximately 25% within the past week and currently trades around $3.65, just 25 cents above its all-time low.
Defiance and Rebuttal from Cryptocurrency Projects:
Several projects affected by the SEC’s securities classification vehemently opposed the regulator’s claims. Solana, Cardano, and Polygon were all caught in the SEC’s securities net. Polygon Labs, the team behind MATIC, responded on Twitter by emphasizing that their project was developed and deployed outside the United States, emphasizing its global availability and actions that did not target the US market.
Similarly, the Solana Foundation publicly disagreed with the SEC’s characterization of SOL as security, expressing their stance on Twitter. Input Output Global (IOG), the company behind Cardano’s development, declared its awareness of the SEC’s definition of ADA but asserted that the regulator made numerous factual inaccuracies. IOG firmly stated that ADA has never been and is not a security under US securities laws.
The recent designation of cryptocurrencies as securities by the SEC has had far-reaching implications for the market. ALGO and FLOW, in particular, experienced significant price declines, hitting all-time lows. Despite subsequent recoveries, the volatility caused concern among investors. Furthermore, projects like ICP, SOL, ADA, and MATIC have openly challenged the SEC’s classification, refuting that their tokens should be considered securities. The clash between regulators and cryptocurrency projects continues to evolve, leaving the market uncertain about its future path.
