The current enthusiasm surrounding the potential of a Bitcoin Spot exchange-traded fund (ETF) getting the inexperienced gentle has taken a brand new flip. Speculations, assumptions, and projections have been rife within the crypto group, however insights from these intently related to regulatory our bodies typically forged a revealing gentle on such issues.
John Reeds Stark, a former US Securities and Change Fee (SEC) official, is the newest to weigh in on this matter.
Will the SEC Approve Any Of The Latest Bitcoin Spot ETF Purposes?
Folks typically ask for my opinion on whether or not the SEC will approve any of the current spate of bitcoin spot ETF purposes, which is an attention-grabbing and essential query.
My take is that the present SEC will… pic.twitter.com/lPXebl03Y4
— John Reed Stark (@JohnReedStark) August 13, 2023
SEC’s Present Considerations: Manipulation And Regulatory Gaps?
Taking to his X (previously generally known as Twitter) account to voice his perspective, Stark, who as soon as led the SEC’s Workplace of Web Enforcement, shared what many would possibly understand as a mixture of warning and hope for the way forward for crypto rules within the US.
Based on Stark, the SEC’s underlying considerations concerning approving a Spot Bitcoin ETF are the alleged manipulation and the perceived lack of sufficient regulation inside the crypto ecosystem.
Stark said that the present SEC is unlikely to offer a nod to such an ETF utility attributable to these important causes. In Stark’s phrases, the situation surrounding crypto rules has additionally began taking a partisan hue, additional complicating the regulatory panorama.
Stark tweeted:
Points surrounding crypto regulation have sadly develop into more and more partisan on the SEC.
The Ex-SEC Official additional famous that cryptocurrencies have undergone a transformative journey since their inception.
That is stunning as a result of after I first started writing about crypto in 2017, crypto was by no means a partisan difficulty. As an illustration, again then, President Donald Trump, Secretary Hillary Clinton, and Congresswoman Maxine Waters all shared the identical view about crypto i.e. that crypto was a harmful and horrific plague.
A Glimmer Of Hope With Political Shifts?
Stark’s revelations don’t simply finish with the SEC’s present reservations. He additional speculates on the potential for a brighter crypto regulatory panorama, contingent on the result of forthcoming political shifts.
Curiously, Stark opines {that a} Republican presidency would possibly pave the way in which for a extra crypto-friendly SEC. Citing previous situations, Stark reminded his followers of the SEC’s strategy beneath its then-chair, Jay Clayton, a Republican appointee.
Stark elaborates that if the upcoming elections see a Republican ascendancy, the newly appointed officers on the SEC might be extra receptive to crypto improvements, together with the approval of a Spot Bitcoin ETF.
Ought to the hypothesis about “crypto-mom” Hester Peirce doubtlessly changing into the appearing Chair of the SEC come true beneath a brand new Republican regime, Stark believes {that a} drastic change within the U.S. SEC’s strategy to crypto might be on the horizon.
Featured picture from Unsplash, Chart from TradingView