SEC

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is an independent federal government agency responsible for protecting investors and maintaining fair, orderly, and efficient markets. Established in 1934 in response to the Great Depression, its primary mission is to restore public confidence in the financial markets by enforcing securities laws and regulating various market participants, including stock exchanges, brokers, and investment advisors.

The SEC achieves its goals through three main functions:

Investor Protection: It mandates that companies offering securities to the public disclose essential financial information, allowing investors to make informed decisions.

Market Integrity: The agency polices for and prosecutes market manipulation, fraud, and insider trading to ensure fair play for all investors.

Facilitating Capital Formation: By creating a transparent and trustworthy environment, the SEC helps companies raise the capital they need to grow and innovate.

In recent years, the SEC has increasingly focused on the cryptocurrency sector, working to determine which digital assets qualify as securities and are therefore subject to its regulatory oversight. This has led to a number of high-profile legal battles and an ongoing effort to create a clear regulatory framework for the rapidly evolving digital asset space.