Despite much bullish speculation, the legal battle between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Ripple Labs remains, at press time, much like the Korean War: a frozen conflict.
Indeed, both the weeks ahead of the Trump inauguration and more recently, many traders, experts, and analysts have been predicting that the watchdog would be quick to drop the most discussed lawsuit in the cryptocurrency industry.
The latest credible rumours, shared by the prominent Fox Business journalist Eleanor Terrett, indicate that the fight that started in 2020 ‘is in the process of wrapping up and could be over soon.’ Allegedly, the delay comes from protracted negotiations to alter the previous $125 fine imposed on Ripple.
Picks for you
Despite this, the latest definitive developments are months old and involve an SEC appeal alleging that the previous court decisions were incorrect and that Ripple did break securities laws.
The appeal, however, does not contest the ruling that XRP is not a security, and a lack of direct progress does not mean there have been developments in the regulatory landscape.
SEC initiates a case-dropping spree
Specifically, following Chair Gary Gensler’s exit, there has been a major shift in the SEC’s disposition. In February, the regulator went on something of a case-dropping spree, abandoning multiple filed lawsuits or announcing that initiated investigations would not lead to enforcement actions.
The watchdog also clearly stated that meme coins are not securities and are more akin to collectibles.
Some of the most prominent companies that have already benefited from the course change are the cryptocurrency exchanges Coinbase and Kraken and the non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace OpenSea.
XRP remains volatile, but receives major external boon
Elsewhere, Donald Trump’s second administration has not, by press time, proved a positive catalyst for XRP. Despite much volatility, the token remains a mere 2.06% above its January 1 price and is changing hands at $2.17.
Lastly, despite a lack of a clear regulatory resolution or a strong breakout to new highs, developments regarding cryptocurrency are not lacking. As recently as March 11, Franklin Templeton filed for a spot XRP exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Featured image via Shutterstock
