Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

SEC chair warns cryptocurrency industry won't reach potential staying outside our laws

SEC chair warns cryptocurrency industry won't reach potential staying outside our laws

Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission Gary Gensler argued on Thursday that the cryptocurrency "field is not going to reach any of its potential if it tries to stay outside of our laws."

He specified that those laws include those pertaining to money laundering, tax compliance and the SEC’s "focus," which is investor protection.

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies remain unregulated within the U.S. financial system.

Gensler provided the insight on "Mornings with Maria" on Thursday as the industry has been waiting to see how the Democratic appointee will approach oversight of the crypto market, which he had reportedly said should be brought within traditional financial regulation.

On Thursday, Gensler called cryptocurrencies "innovative technologies," but also pointed out the potential risks associated with the evolving industry.

Gensler told FOX Business host Maria Bartiromo on Thursday that the SEC is "neutral" on crypto, but not neutral about investor protection.

He stressed that his agency focuses on investor protections, especially for working families.

Earlier this month, Gensler called on Congress to give the SEC more authority to better police cryptocurrency trading, lending and platforms, Reuters reported, noting that he referred to crypto markets as a "Wild West" plagued with fraud and investor risk.


Gensler reportedly said the market involves many tokens, which may be unregistered securities, and therefore, could leave prices open to manipulation and millions of investors vulnerable to risks.

In April, cryptocurrencies reached a record capitalization of $2 trillion as more investors poured into investments of digital tokens.

Bitcoin had been trading lower this week. The cryptocurrency dropped by more than 1% Thursday morning as cryptocurrencies declined. On Thursday morning the price was around $44,300 per coin and increased to around $45,700 by Thursday afternoon, according to Coindesk.

For year-to-date returns, however, bitcoin is up 56% courtesy of a strong showing by bullish traders throughout the first half of this month as prices steadily rose from $38,000 on Aug. 4 to around $48,190 on Saturday.

Rivals Ethereum and Dogecoin were trading around $3,066 and 31 cents per coin, respectively, according to Coindesk.

Concerns about cryptocurrencies were raised Tuesday by Neel Kashkari, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

"I was more optimistic about crypto and bitcoin five or six years ago," said Kashkari. "So far what I’ve seen is… 95% fraud, hype, noise and confusion."

Kashkari made the comments during an appearance at the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region annual summit in Big Sky, Montana, and reported by Coindesk.

Kashkari contrasted the open nature of the crypto field with the U.S. government’s monopoly on issuance of dollars.

"There are thousands of these garbage coins that have been created," the central banker said. "Some of them are complete fraud Ponzi schemes. They dupe people into investing money and then the founders rip them off."

Kashkari scoffed at the idea that bitcoin could serve as a safe haven from inflation, particularly the kind seen in some developing countries.

Gensler noted on Thursday that the interest in crypto "innovations" have "shown that we all want our payments to be faster and less costly."

The Senate confirmed Gensler, President Biden’s pick, as chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission in April. Gensler was a former financial regulator and Goldman Sachs Group Inc. executive. He ran the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, a smaller regulatory sibling to the SEC, from 2009 to 2013, according to the Wall Street Journal, which added that he "has a history of shaking up the status quo."

The newspaper reported that while at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission "he steamrolled the opposition to write rules from scratch governing the markets for hundreds of trillions of dollars of derivatives," adding that "some of these complex financial instruments were blamed for the 2008-09 financial crisis."

Bartiromo asked Gensler what his priorities are in his new role as SEC chairman.

"I think markets every day are changing. Technology is rapidly changing markets and we can’t take for granted that we have the best markets," he responded. "I would like, at the end of my tenure, that we left the market even better."

He went on to say that he believes there are "definitely things we can do" to make certain parts of "the market more transparent."

Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
×