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The Ether classification by the SEC has come under huge scrutiny. Patrick McHenry, The House Financial Services Committee Chairman, told Fox journalist Eleanor Terrett that new evidence reveals that Chair Gensler personally lied to Congress, just months after a federal judge punished SEC enforcement attorneys for lying to the court.

SEC’s Misleading Stance According to Patrick McHenry, Chair Gensler declined to respond to inquiries about the SEC’s Ether classification during her testimony before the Financial Services Committee in April of last year. According to recent court documents, this was a deliberate attempt to distort the Commission’s viewpoint.

Ether’s classification as security goes against what Chair Gensler and the SEC have previously said, and this is just one more illustration of how the agency’s enforcement-based regulation of digital assets is arbitrary and capricious. This episode emphasizes how crucial it is that the bipartisan FIT for the 21st Century Act be passed by Congress to give the digital asset markets a clear legal framework and strong consumer protections.

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SEC Ether Classification as Security According to a recent report, Gary Gensler, the chairman of the SEC, thinks Ethereum (ETH) was a security for the past year. According to a Fox Business article published on April 29, Gensler thought Ethereum was an unregistered security for at least a year. This is different from the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) earlier stances on Ethereum’s classification as a commodity.

As to the article, there could be additional information regarding the timeliness of the Commission’s purported classification of Ethereum as a security found in a recent court filing. Should the recently initiated inquiries indicate Ethereum as a security, this would go against the financial regulator’s earlier claims.

Consensys Alleges SEC of Taking Over Bitcoin Sector Besides the Ether classification, Consensys filed a lawsuit in a Texas court following receipt of the SEC’s Wells Notice, claiming among other things that the Commission had changed its previous position.

The business claimed that the SEC was attempting to take over the Bitcoin sector. The second-largest cryptocurrency was not a security, according to a 2018 SEC report. In the wake of the Ripple scandal involving the Commission, this gave rise to accusations of partiality.

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Crypto Firms Without EU License Remain Mute as MiCA Deadline Approaches – French Regulator

Sujha Sundararajan

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Sujha Sundararajan

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Jun 2023

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Sujha has been recognised as 🟣 Women In Crypto 2024 🟣 by BeInCrypto for her leadership in crypto journalism.

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January 14, 2026

A French regulator said Tuesday that about 30% of crypto companies without an EU license have not informed of their plans, whether to apply for a MiCA license or cease operating by July.

Speaking to journalists in Paris, Stéphane Pontoizeau, Executive Director of the Market Intermediaries and Market Infrastructures Supervision Directorate at the AMF, noted that the regulator had already written to companies in November, reminding them to respond before the license deadline on June 30, 2026.

The transition period for the MiCA license varies for different EU countries. France-based crypto businesses that fail to obtain a license will be required to cease operations in July.

According to Reuters, only 30% of crypto firms in France responded to the regulator and have applied for a license. Whereas, 40% said they are not seeking one.

Last week, French regulators warned the public against unregulated crypto offerings from companies that are not authorized to do so.

Companies Not Having MiCA Authorization Must ‘Orderly Wind-Down Plan’: ESMAUnder the European Securities and Markets Authority (ESMA) requirements, companies that have not obtained MiCA authorization must implement an “orderly wind-down plan” before the end of the transition period.

Last month, the European Commission proposed transferring crypto oversight from national regulators to ESMA. By doing so, the EC aims to eliminate regulatory fragmentation across 27 member states by granting ESMA powers comparable to those of the U.S. SEC.

So far, the MiCA license has been granted to stablecoin issuer Circle, US exchanges Coinbase, OKX, Crypto.com, Binance, and British ​fintech Revolut.

AMF is Pushing for Centralized Crypto OversightIn September last year, France issued a warning noting that it may attempt to block some crypto firms licensed in other EU nations from operating domestically. The country threatened to challenge MiCA “passporting” granted by different member states.

The AMF President Marie-Anne Barbat-Layani urged to transfer oversight of the industry to ESMA in Paris. This would be a “more harmonized” approach to supervision of the crypto sector, she added.

Rubio: US and Iran to continue technical consultations at the end of this month

Multiple foreign media outlets reported on the 24th that US Secretary of State Rubio said technical teams from the United States and Iran will hold further talks in Switzerland by the end of June. (Xinhua News Agency)

6 hours ago

Over the past 24 hours, total crypto market liquidations hit $606 million, with more than 130,000 traders liquidated.

According to Coinglass data, the global cryptocurrency market recorded $606 million in liquidations over the past 24 hours, including $542 million in long-position liquidations and $68.22 million in short-position liquidations. A total of 135,785 traders worldwide were liquidated in the same period, with the largest single liquidation order occurring on Binance’s BTCUSDT trading pair, valued at $12.0111 million.

6 hours ago

Bitcoin falls below $60,000

According to HTX market data, Bitcoin has fallen below $60,000, with a 4.3% drop in the past 24 hours.

6 hours ago

US Treasury Secretary: AI boom may boost productivity and help curb inflation.

US Treasury Secretary Bessent told CNBC in an interview that he hopes the Federal Reserve will remain "open-minded" about the inflation pattern after the reversal of Iran-related energy price hikes. Bessent noted that the U.S. could enter an economic environment marked by high GDP growth without a corresponding rise in traditional inflation. He cited that in the 1990s, Alan Greenspan foresaw that office modernization and the internet could drive non-inflationary growth, and allowed the economy to keep expanding. Bessent believes the U.S. has a strong chance of seeing a similar scenario again. When asked whether the Fed still needs to worry about potential inflation and whether interest rate cuts are possible this year or next, Bessent declined to comment. However, he argued that it is necessary to stay open-minded about the price or inflation impacts from the Iran conflict, and monitor inflation performance after those effects subside. Bessent also said an open mind is needed, as the AI boom could boost productivity and deliver disinflationary effects, helping inflation return to the Fed’s target level. He added that he believes Kevin Warsh will choose the optimal path that meets both the Fed’s inflation and growth mandates. Bessent also noted that Warsh previously took a hawkish stance on inflation.

6 hours ago

US stocks' intraday storage sector sees broad declines, with Western Digital and Seagate Technology both falling over 4%.

According to Bitget data, during U.S. stock trading hours, the storage sector saw broad declines: Western Digital (WDC) fell 4.47%, Seagate Technology (STX) dropped 4.17%, SanDisk (SNDK) declined 2.31%, and Micron Technology (MU) edged down 0.96%. Most optical communication concept stocks rose, with Corning (GLW) leading the gains at 9.75%, followed by Ciena (CIEN) up 3.24%, Coherent (COHR) rising 2.93%, Lumentum (LITE) gaining 2.61%, and Nokia (NOK) advancing 1.82%. Additionally, Marvell Technology (MRVL) fell 2.59% and Applied Optoelectronics (AAOI) declined 1.90%.

6 hours ago

During intraday trading in U.S. stocks, crypto-related concept stocks fell broadly, with MSTR dropping more than 7%.

According to Bitget market data, the three major U.S. stock indexes rose broadly: the Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 0.94%, the S&P 500 increased 0.60%, and the Nasdaq rose 0.63%. Crypto-related stocks fell across the board, with declines as follows: Strategy (MSTR) down 7.33%; Circle (CRCL) down 4.35%; Bitmine (BMNR) down 3.97%; Coinbase (COIN) down 3.73%; Robinhood (HOOD) down 3.70%; Gemini (GEMI) down 3.27%; Bullish (BLSH) down 3.25%; Sharplink (SBET) down 3.19%.

6 hours ago

X Users Hate Crypto: Snooze Data Reveals Top Muted Topics