SEC Chair Gary Gensler reiterated that Bitcoin is not a security but a commodity under the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) purview. He also stated that “everything else other than bitcoin is a security,” which has significant implications for regulating cryptocurrencies and digital assets in the United States.
Gensler’s statement reflects the SEC’s long-held view that many cryptocurrencies and digital assets are securities under U.S. law. The SEC’s definition of a security is broad — it includes any investment contract in which an individual invests money in a common enterprise with the expectation of profits solely from the efforts of others. In other words, if an asset is sold as an investment with the expectation of profit based on the efforts of others, it is likely to be considered a security.
