Coinbase, SEC on collision course for ‘existential’ clash over crypto industry

Coinbase debuted on the U.S. stock market on April 14, 2021 – the same day U.S. senators confirmed Gary Gensler to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the country’s top markets regulator.

Gensler, who has called the crypto sector a “Wild West” riddled with fraud, is now embroiled in a battle with the world’s largest publicly-traded crypto firm over a core debate: whether digital assets are investment contracts akin to stocks or bonds that should be regulated by the SEC.