The SEC is scaling back its special unit of more than 50 lawyers and staff members that were responsible for bringing crypto enforcement actions, according to a Feb. 4 New York Times report citing people with knowledge of the matter. Some of the lawyers in the crypto enforcement unit are being assigned to other departments in the agency, the report noted , adding that one of its top litigators was moved out, with others describing the move as “an unfair demotion.” One of the first things the new SEC chair, Mark Uyeda, did was establish a team to review the regulator’s approach to dealing with digital assets. The new task force is led by pro-crypto Commissioner Hester Peirce. The SEC is scaling back its crypto enforcement unit. Some in a special unit of 50 lawyers and staff that had been dedicated to bringing enforcement actions are being reassigned, according to just-published NYT article. pic.twitter.com/W8fU5jAFJw — Eric Balchunas (@EricBalchunas) February 4, 2025 SEC Easing on Enforcement The SEC has “relied primarily on enforcement actions to regulate crypto retroactively and reactively, often adopting novel and untested legal interpretations along the way,” the agency wrote at the time. One of President Trump’s first executive orders signed on Jan. 23 was aimed at promoting the growth of crypto and “eliminating regulatory overreach” from financial regulators over the past few years. One of the order’s policies was to provide “regulatory clarity and certainty built on technology-neutral regulations, frameworks that account for emerging technologies, transparent decision making, and well-defined jurisdictional regulatory boundaries.” The SEC downsizing news comes hours after Hester Peirce outlined the regulator’s new approach to crypto markets and reconsidering whether certain crypto assets are securities. She said that the task force’s main priorities were examining the security status of crypto assets, identifying areas outside of SEC jurisdiction, addressing token offerings, improving registration pathways, and updating broker-dealer regulations. It would also clarify custody solutions for investment advisers, provide clarity on crypto lending and staking, and review crypto exchange-traded products, she said. The crypto Task Force webpage is live. Join us for the drive (toward crypto clarity): https://t.co/o2jzNUhJ5D and https://t.co/9AwTYkmOCw — Hester Peirce (@HesterPeirce) February 4, 2025 Crypto Czar’s GENIUS Act On Feb. 4, President Trump’s “Crypto Czar,” David Sacks, held his first press conference alongside a number of senators. He introduced the GENIUS Act, focusing on stablecoin regulation and establishing clear regulatory frameworks, and announced the formation of a joint House-Senate working group on crypto legislation. The main objectives were to keep crypto innovation within the United States, create regulatory clarity, foster blockchain development, and harmonize regulations across agencies such as the SEC and CFTC . The key takeaway from today’s press conference led by @DavidSacks : Congress is serious about passing stablecoin legislation. ABOUT TIME! Stablecoin legislation will not only benefit consumers and reinforce US dollar dominance abroad, it will move millions of people onchain — Jake Chervinsky (@jchervinsky) February 4, 2025 However, despite all of the positive developments, crypto markets have fallen 4% on the day, with total capitalization dropping to $3.3 trillion. Bitcoin dipped to an intraday low of $96,000 before recovering to trade just below $98,000 during the Wednesday morning Asian session. The post Good News for Crypto? US SEC to Scale Back Its Enforcement Division appeared first on CryptoPotato .
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Whale Movement on Binance: $10M USDC Sent to Buy $MELANIA Tokens in Massive Transaction
A newly established wallet has made the news with a striking transaction that involved moving an immense amount of stablecoins and a deliberate play in the market. On-chain data reveal that the wallet took just under $10 million worth of USDC out of Binance, and that it then moved the bulk of that into a series of purchases that it made across various tokens. This has all the appearances of a very serious retail investor or institutional player making a bet, or a series of bets, in the market. And it is drawing considerable attention in crypto Twitter, especially thanks to a series of not-so-light purchases that have been made. Whale’s Strategic Moves Across Exchanges The first step of the operation was to spend $2 million USDC to buy 1,383,722 $MELANIA tokens. This purchase took place on an undisclosed exchange, thus drawing attention when the whale wallet was noted to have acquired a relatively large amount of tokens. The whale’s behavior seemed consistent with the kind of right-before-the-sunken-place-sinking strategy that some investors use. However, this wasn’t the last we saw of our dolphin. Following that, the wallet concentrated on JupiterExchange, where it deployed another $2 million USDC and used dollar-cost averaging to acquire more assets, thereby layering on more risk and increasing its exposure. Spreading out orders over time, at varying price levels, is something that many seasoned investors do to manage the risk that comes with making a large purchase all at once. By DCA-ing into more assets on top of what it had already acquired, this particular wallet seems to be positioning itself for a longer-term play in the market. The next part of the transaction is probably the most intriguing. The wallet, which still contained $6 million of the original USDC, used the whole amount to procure a colossal holding of $MELANIA tokens at the price of $1.496 per token. This meant that the wallet bought another 6,688,916 $MELANIA tokens, bringing the total amount held by the wallet to an impressive 6,688,916.4 $MELANIA. The purchase’s massive scope and the ability of the whale to shift that much capital have sent ripples through the crypto community, eliciting expressions of interest and a fair amount of speculation about what it all means. The Role of $MELANIA Token in the Market The $MELANIA token, which has received growing interest of late, seems to have secured the attention of this whale for its probable upward trajectory. Although the large-scale purchase was not accompanied by a specific statement of intent, there are several reasons that could explain why the whale is now in possession of a hefty stack of $MELANIA tokens. For starters, the $MELANIA token is often talked about as one of several nascent projects within the decentralized finance (DeFi) space that are well-positioned for growth. And a big investment like this one certainly seems to endorse that narrative. In light of the growing interest in DeFi tokens and new cryptocurrency projects, it’s possible that the whale views $MELANIA as an undervalued token. Whale behavior is typically aligned with that of high-net-worth individuals and even institutional investors. These folks tend to make sizable bets on relatively under-the-radar assets. They often seem to be front-running the next big thing in terms of asset appreciation. Furthermore, the shift might indicate that the whale is angling to enjoy a possible market transition. While the overall crypto market shows wild fluctuations, reasonable buys like this one could set a wallet-holder up very nicely for some unexpected returns when the token they hold surges in price. A newly created wallet has withdrawn 10M $USDC from #Binance . It spent $2M $USDC to buy 1,383,722 $MELANIA and sent another $2M $USDC for DCA on @JupiterExchange . The wallet currently holds 1,705,873 $MELANIA and retains $6M $USDC , which can be used to buy more $MELANIA or… pic.twitter.com/AkLSnBi6nT — Onchain Lens (@OnchainLens) February 4, 2025 The Potential Market Impact and Future Outlook The crypto market can feel the ripple effects of whale activity. When a big crypto transaction happens, it can stir up a whole lot of buying interest that moves the price of the asset around. This wallet executed a large transaction that had the potential to do exactly that with $MELANIA. If you saw this trade and thought, “The whale just bought $MELANIA; I should probably buy some too,” then you’d be an example of a crypto investor following the whale’s lead. The new token’s market can be unpredictable. Even with a large investment from a whale, unpredictability can still reign. Will Melania’s token ride the same wave that propelled the “whale of Wall Street” to his current office, or is that wave a different one? Which makes us ask: Who really is Melania? I mean, who is she really, in terms of just Enceladus? Valentine’s Day—February 14—is a day dedicated to Melania. By which I mean, by a Valentine’s Day card I send to a pre-Reformation Church priest. This is as close to “who Melania is” as I get. And in less than 40 pages, I will memorialize this state of affairs. The whale now possesses 6.6 million $MELANIA tokens, which means that this latest acquisition is almost certainly going to have a major impact on the token’s liquidity and price moves in the near term. If the whale keeps making these kinds of moves, we could start to see the $MELANIA token developing a deeper presence in the market. Disclosure: This is not trading or investment advice. Always do your research before buying any cryptocurrency or investing in any services. Follow us on Twitter @nulltxnews to stay updated with the latest Crypto, NFT, AI, Cybersecurity, Distributed Computing, and Metaverse news ! Image Source: loft39studio/ 123RF // Image Effects by Colorcinch Crypto Potato
Market Expert Claims XRP Drop To $1.76 Was ‘Manipulated’ – Here’s Why
The recent price decline of XRP has sparked a discussion among market experts regarding whether the decrease to $1.76 was a natural market reaction or a more deliberate event. Within three hours on February 3, 2025, XRP experienced a rapid decline from $2.57 to $1.76, a staggering 31% decrease. Nevertheless, the rapid recovery above $2 that occurred shortly after the decline was a cause for concern. Related Reading: Crypto Traders Wrecked As Trump’s Tariffs Spark $2 Billion Liquidation The price movement has been the subject of speculation, with some positing that external factors, rather than organic selling pressure, were responsible. “The move yesterday was manipulated” Let me explain my thoughts and why I was somewhat confident to call a low within 3 minutes last night (read until end) Using $XRP for example I think yesterday was a cohort effort of market makers to simultaneously let altcoins fall into… https://t.co/WOW4EB3QAE pic.twitter.com/y6ngsHrxl8 — Dom (@traderview2) February 3, 2025 Market Professionals Express Apprehension Regarding Manipulation Among the first to spot anomalies in XRP’s price behavior was crypto analyst Dom. He noted that the price drop followed an odd trend whereby liquidity seemed to disappear during the last leg of the collapse. He thinks it is possible that market players purposefully delayed buy-side liquidity, allowing the price to collapse and then tactically running purchase orders at reduced levels to profit on the comeback. “I don’t want to resort to conspiracy but if you think that move was “natural”, think again. It simply looks to me like a cohort effort to crash altcoins WHILE filling their own bids,” Dom said on X. Furthermore notable was the fact that the drop in XRP did not seem to be isolated. Another market guru, Vincent Van Code, noted over the same period that Bitcoin, HBAR, and several other cryptocurrencies had quite comparable price swings. This spurred questions about coordinated market behavior or automated trading. The Mysteries Are Further Complicated By Synchronized Market Movements Unless there are outside factors actively impacting price behavior, there is a statistically little chance that several cryptocurrencies would see the same sharp collapse and recovery in the same time periods. Although algorithmic trading sometimes creates correlation across assets, experts argue that the accuracy of these movements suggests a deeper degree of coordination. Dom emphasized that although panic selling and abrupt liquidations may be factors in these declines, the event’s structure and pace make it unlikely that natural market forces were the only factor. It is possible, Dom said, that market makers are manipulating XRP to accumulate it at discounted prices, if they do indeed remove liquidity to facilitate a price decline. “Whether that was the low or not, these players are UP BIG!,” the analyst said. Related Reading: Trump Meme Coin Faces Criticism, But Cathie Wood Sees A Bold Future What This Means For XRP Investors This incident reminds XRP holders of the volatility of cryptocurrency markets. Whales or institutional players may be abusing their power when there are abrupt price drops and recoveries. Investors should employ prudence when dealing with unpredictable markets and consider using tools like stop-loss orders to lower their risks. XRP has subsequently returned beyond $2, but the question of whether this was a planned move or a normal market correction is still up for debate. Featured image from Gemini Imagen, chart from TradingView Crypto Potato