Regulation & Institutions

Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

Also: SEC

The US regulator of securities markets. After a wave of crypto enforcement cases, it has shifted toward writing crypto-specific rules and focusing enforcement on fraud. In a March 2026 release issued with the CFTC, it said most crypto assets are not themselves securities, though they can be sold as part of an investment contract. That is regulatory guidance, and a future administration could change it.

General education, not investment, legal or tax advice. Markets and regulation change quickly: where a definition depends on current law or on a recent event, check the latest coverage before relying on it.