Is ethereum a security? The answer could upend the crypto world

By Joon Ian Wong

Technology Reporter

May 3, 2018This article is more than 2 years old.

Over the past year, ethereum has vaulted in value. The value of the second-largest cryptocurrency in circulation is around $72 billion, challenging bitcoin in the past year. Needless to say, ethereum has established itself as a key pillar of the crypto market.

Its position is now under threat, amid rumblings that US regulators could classify ethereum—or its initial offering of ether tokens to users in 2014—as a security. While the US commodities regulator has claimed bitcoin for itself, such a move by the SEC would make ethereum the same as a stock, with all the strict requirements on registration, disclosure, and accreditation of investors that entails. Ethereum, like nearly all cryptocurrencies, didn’t follow any of these rules when it was initially issued