SEC Serves Fresh Lawsuit To Metamask Developer Consensys – What’s The Problem This Time?

As a researcher with a background in blockchain technology and securities law, I find the ongoing legal battle between the SEC and Consensys to be a significant development in the crypto industry. The accusations leveled against Consensys by the SEC are serious, and they could potentially set a precedent for how regulatory bodies approach decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms and their associated services.


As a crypto investor, I’ve come across some troubling news. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has taken legal action against ConsenSys, the company behind Metamask, which is a widely used crypto wallet. According to the SEC, ConsenSys allegedly broke securities laws by functioning as an unregistered securities broker. This means that they may have facilitated trades of digital assets that are considered securities without proper registration with the SEC. It’s important for all investors to stay informed about such developments and ensure that we only engage with registered entities to protect ourselves from potential legal risks.

SEC Accuses Consensys Of Violating Securities Laws Using Metamask

Based on the court filing, the SEC alleges that Consensys has functioned as an unregistered broker for crypto asset securities via its MetaMask Swaps service since October 2020. Additionally, the Commission charges Consensys with participating in the unregistered issuance and sale of securities through their crypto staking programs.

As a researcher studying the crypto market, I’ve come across noteworthy information regarding Consensys and its MetaMask Swaps feature. According to the SEC’s disclosure, since 2020, over 36 million crypto transactions have been facilitated through this service. Among these transactions, approximately 5 million involved securities based on cryptographic assets. MetaMask Swaps is a well-known wallet solution in the crypto sphere, allowing users not only to securely store their digital assets but also to exchange one type of crypto for another directly within the application.

The “Swap” service operated by ConsenSys is at the heart of the SEC’s regulatory action. According to the SEC, certain crypto assets involved in these swaps are classified as securities. By facilitating the trading of these securities without registration, ConsenSys allegedly functioned as an unregistered securities broker, thereby breaching securities laws.

As a crypto investor, I’m excited to share that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has expanded the list of crypto securities that can be traded on Metamask’s swap platform. Specifically, they have added Polygon (MATIC), Decentraland (MANA), Chiliz (CHZ), The Sandbox (SAND), and Luna (LUNA) to this list. This means that these tokens, which were previously considered securities under the SEC’s regulations, can now be traded on Metamask using their decentralized exchange functionality. It’s important for investors to stay informed about such developments in order to make informed decisions regarding their crypto investments.

The SEC has charged Consensys with conducting “securities market functions” by offering and selling securities related to Lido and Rocket Pool’s staking programs. According to the Commission, these staking programs qualify as investment contracts, making it illegal for Consensys to sell these securities through unregistered transactions on its MetaMask Staking platform.

SEC Serves Fresh Lawsuit To Metamask Developer Consensys – What’s The Problem This Time?

The Genesis Of The Legal Battle Between SEC And Consensys

It’s intriguing that the SEC has filed a lawsuit against Consensys, following closely on the heels of Consensys’ own lawsuit against the Commission earlier this year. In that suit, Consensys argued that the SEC was overstepping its bounds by attempting to assert authority over Ethereum and cryptocurrency-related matters, which they believed were outside the SEC’s jurisdiction. Consensys requested the court to issue a ruling declaring Ethereum as not being a security and denying the SEC’s potential actions against them.

As a researcher studying the regulatory landscape of cryptocurrencies, I’ve noticed that Ethereum’s crypto firm, Consensys, appeared to have emerged victorious in their battle with the SEC over Ethereum’s classification as a security. However, upon closer examination of the letters communicating the SEC’s decision to terminate their investigation into Ethereum’s status, I discovered a cautionary note. The SEC had indicated that they reserved the right to pursue enforcement actions against Consensys for other related matters. True enough, the SEC has since taken action on these other issues.

In response to the SEC’s legal action, Consensys announced its intent to strongly defend against the lawsuit it had previously initiated against the SEC. Additionally, they expressed their anticipation for the SEC’s decision to classify MetaMask as a securities broker and required registration.

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2024-06-29 22:34