Bagikan artikel ini
SEC Says It Shut Down More Than a Dozen Illegal ICOs in the Past Year
The U.S. SEC's Division of Enforcement heavily expanded its work the companies offering ICOs this past fiscal year, it said Friday.
Oleh Nikhilesh De
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) brought more than a dozen successful enforcement actions specifically related to token sales in the fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.
At least three of these sales reportedly raised more than a combined $68 million from investors before being shut down, the agency said in its annual report Friday.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Jangan lewatkan cerita lainnya.Berlangganan Newsletter Crypto Daybook Americas hari ini. Lihat semua newsletter
To be sure, that's just a sliver of the more than $3.945 billion in disgorgement and penalties the SEC collected during fiscal 2018. But the increase in enforcement actions surrounding initial coin offerings (ICOs) and other crypto-related startups was significant.
"Given the explosion of ICOs over the last year, we have tried to pursue cases that deliver broad messages and have market impact beyond their own four corners," the report stated.
In the report, the SEC Division of Enforcement noted that its new Cyber Unit, formed at the end of the 2017 fiscal year, has helped it expand its focus on cyber-related misconduct. As a result, "the SEC's enforcement efforts impacted a number of areas where the federal securities laws intersect with cyber issues," this year.
To that end, "the Commission brought 20 stand alone cases, including those cases involving ICOs and digital assets," it reported. By the end of the fiscal year, "the Division had more than 225 cyber-related investigations ongoing."
Nor are those the only cases the SEC brought this year. Further in the report, it added:
"While many of these cases have involved allegations of fraud, the Division also has pursued enforcement actions to ensure compliance with the registration requirements of the federal securities laws. In the past year, the Division has opened dozens of investigations involving ICOs and digital assets, many of which were ongoing at the close of FY 2018."
Beyond startups offering ICOs, the SEC Enforcement Division has gone after startups and other entities acting as unregistered broker-dealers facilitating token sales, it reported.
SEC image via Shutterstock
More For You
What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
More For You
Bitcoin’s Deep Correction Sets Stage for December Rebound, Says K33 Research
K33 Research says market fear is outweighing fundamentals as bitcoin nears key levels. December could offer an entry point for bold investors.
What to know:
- K33 Research says bitcoin’s steep correction shows signs of bottoming, with December potentially marking a turning point.
- The firm has argued that the market is overreacting to long-term risks while ignoring near-term signals of strength, like low leverage and solid support levels.
- With likely policy shifts ahead and cautious positioning in futures, K33 sees more upside potential than risk of another major collapse.
Top Stories
