Ripple Drops Cross-Appeal in SEC Case
In the latest legal turn of events, Ripple dropped the cross-appeal in the ongoing case with the American U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), as mentioned in our last news article. This left doubts regarding the fate of its institutional sales. Although the case is approaching its end, the fate of the injunction against the company is a significant topic of debate in the crypto world.
Ripple Amid SEC Injunction & Institutional Sales
With Ripple having abandoned its cross-appeal, attention is now on whether the SEC will proceed to vacate the injunction that currently prevents the company from selling XRP to institutions. The injunction, which resulted from Judge Analisa Torres’ conclusion that Ripple’s original sales model was an investment contract, has been a pivotal obstacle to the company’s activities in the institutional market.
In an X post, XRP attorney Bill Morgan discussed the recent developments while admitting that even if the injunction is dissolved, Ripple would be required to change its sales strategy to stay within the purview of securities laws. Legal analyst Fred Rispoli concurred and said that any re-launching of institutional sales would involve keeping pace with new regulatory requirements.
Rispoli then explained his stance further, saying, “So to clarify, as I understand it, there will be no more restrictions on Ripple’s institutional XRP sales. They still must conform to securities law but can now sell to, say, hedge funds or private equity firms directly instead of to OTC desks first.” This viewpoint has generated talk regarding how Ripple could modify its sales strategy in order to be compliant with regulations while still holding onto its institutional relationships.
Market Response & Legal Speculation
The XRP community has been watching the final stages of the lawsuit, with speculation about what this holds for Ripple’s business operations growing. One top crypto commentator, WrathofKahneman, pointed out how significant the next move by the SEC is, explaining that if the regulatory body makes a move to lift the injunction, then Ripple might start institutional sales anew under new conditions.
At the same time, Rispoli asked a rhetorical question about the enforcement of securities law in the crypto space: “But if a tree sells unregistered securities in a forest and no SEC is there to prosecute it, did the tree do anything illegal?” His remark raises questions about overall regulatory clarity and the SEC’s enforcement strategy for the developing digital asset marketplace. In another controversy, IMF’s Balance of Payments Manual shows that some utility tokens like XRP could be treated as securities, as reported in our previous article.
Even with the possibility of resumed sales, the firm might continue to have compliance challenges. The company will have to ensure that whatever institutional transactions are made, they comply with securities rules to prevent future legal attacks.
Though Ripple’s pullback of its cross-appeal is an indicator of advancement towards settling the case, the SEC’s reaction continues to play a crucial role in deciding the firm’s future action. If the regulatory body asks the court to vacate the injunction, Ripple might get back to conducting institutional sales as long as it makes required changes in its structure of sales.