Just lately, the SEC formally acknowledged that the Proof-of-Work (PoW) mining mechanism is just not categorised as a safety, offering higher regulatory readability for this know-how. This can be a optimistic sign not just for Bitcoin – the world’s main cryptocurrency – but additionally for PoW-based altcoin ETFs.
Latest transfer from SEC
In a newly launched assertion, the U.S. Securities and Alternate Fee (SEC) clarified its stance on securities laws regarding cryptocurrency mining below the Proof-of-Work mechanism.
Particularly, the SEC determines that each solo mining and pool mining don’t represent securities transactions below U.S. securities legal guidelines. The mined crypto property, termed “Coated Crypto Property,” don’t meet the standards to be categorised as securities. PoW mining is a decentralized community governance exercise, the place rewards rely on computational energy and miners’ participation, not on the entrepreneurial or managerial efforts of third events.
JUST IN: 🇺🇸 SEC publishes steerage on proof of labor mining 👀 pic.twitter.com/YSKhrESy4Q
— Bitcoin Journal (@BitcoinMagazine) March 20, 2025
The SEC emphasizes that this assertion goals to offer transparency and readability to the cryptocurrency trade, significantly amid rising regulatory questions. It notes that these actions don’t require SEC registration below present securities legal guidelines, so long as they don’t contain issuing or promoting property as funding contracts. Nonetheless, the SEC leaves room for case-by-case analysis if extra components, reminiscent of fraud or differing transaction constructions, come up. Total, this assertion marks a big step in lowering authorized uncertainty for PoW mining members, whereas reaffirming the SEC’s principled method to blockchain know-how.
Study extra: SEC Declares Memecoins Are Not Securities
Open door for ETF altcoin
Since President Trump took workplace, he has pushed for reforms in U.S. monetary regulators, together with the SEC and CFTC, urging them to ease crypto laws. Quickly, the SEC is ready to nominate Paul Atkins, a pro-crypto advocate, as its new chairman.
Presently, below Appearing Chairman Mark Uyeda, the SEC has established a devoted crypto activity pressure and restructured its personnel. Particularly, the SEC just lately dropped lawsuits towards a number of crypto corporations, together with OpenSea, Coinbase, Robinhood, Cumberland KRW, Consensys (MetaMask), Kraken, Yuga Labs, BitClout, Uniswap, and Ripple.

Supply: Swyftx Study
Moreover, this newest transfer by the SEC alerts higher regulatory readability for blockchain know-how and Proof-of-Work (PoW). This might pave the best way for the approval of Bitcoin and different PoW-based altcoin ETFs, reminiscent of Litecoin and Dogecoin, within the close to future—property that have already got a excessive chance of approval this yr.