CoinDeskPolicyPubblicato 2024-05-07Pubblicato ultima volta 2024-05-08

Introduzione

The House of Representatives is on its way to vote on whether to oppose the SEC's crypto accounting policy, Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121, but President Biden is defending...

  • A House resolution would start a formal process to kill the Securities and Exchange Commission's controversial accounting policy on crypto custody, and a vote was expected Wednesday.
  • President Joe Biden said he'll veto the resolution if it reaches his desk for approval.

The U.S. House of Representatives is poised to vote on a resolution Wednesday to reject the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) cryptocurrency accounting guidance that the industry said has deterred banks from handling crypto customers, but President Joe Biden is already promising he'll veto the effort if it hits his desk.

The SEC's Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 121 – also known as SAB 121 – has been a focus of criticism from digital assets businesses and Republican lawmakers since its arrival. The bulletin was meant to clarify accounting treatment for crypto assets, directing a bank holding customer's digital tokens should do so on its own balance sheet, potentially incurring massive capital expenses. But the policy guidance has since been found in one government review to have been handled badly, though the agency and Chair Gary Gensler have defended it.

"Gary Gensler, in his jihad against digital assets, used what is supposed to be mundane staff accounting guidance to essentially freeze out large publicly traded banks from taking custody of digital assets," said Rep. Mike Flood (R-Neb.), the effort's sponsor, in a Wednesday interview with CoinDesk. And the SEC didn't consult with the banking regulators about it, Flood pointed out, arguing that Gensler "doesn't have any business in the banking world."

Advertisement
Advertisement

The White House considers the policy worth defending with a veto, according to a statement from Biden.

"SAB 121 was issued in response to demonstrated technological, legal, and regulatory risks that have caused substantial losses to consumers," Biden said in a Wednesday statement, saying he "strongly opposes" disrupting the SEC's work on this.

Flood said he expected the House to vote late in the day to kill the SEC's policy.

"It made a joke of the rulemaking process and ignored other regulatory agencies," said Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), the chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, in a speech on the House floor on Wednesday, calling SAB 121 "a massive deviation for how highly regulated banks are traditionally required to treat assets on behalf of their customers."

But a key House Democrat thought the resolution goes too far.

"This bill takes a sledgehammer to fix an issue that may merely need a scalpel, and it does so because my colleagues on the other side of the aisle are not only interested in doing the bidding of special interest groups, they are also interested in attacking and undermining the SEC in every possible way," said Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), the ranking Democrat on McHenry's committee.

SAB 121 was originally introduced as staff guidance, but a subsequent Government Accountability Office (GAO) review determined that the agency should have handled it as a rule, with full public comments and submission to Congress.

Advertisement
Advertisement

Rep. Flood introduced the resolution to formally disapprove of the regulator's guidance alongside two Democrats, and Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) has been pushing for a matching resolution in the Senate, which would be needed before the joint resolution could make it to Biden's desk.

When an agency rule is reversed under the Congressional Review Act, it's not only erased, but anything similar is forever blocked from future implementation. Waters argued that SAB 121 – apart from the controversial custody component – also provided guidance on crypto disclosures that are necessary and would be threatened if Congress overturns the policy, and Biden echoed the concern about policies that would be blocked.

"By virtue of invoking the Congressional Review Act, it could also inappropriately constrain the SEC’s ability to ensure appropriate guardrails and address future issues related to crypto-assets including financial stability," Biden said. "Limiting the SEC’s ability to maintain a comprehensive and effective financial regulatory framework for crypto-assets would introduce substantial financial instability and market uncertainty."

Advertisement
Advertisement

Flood called it "disappointing" that the president would approve the improper use of a bulletin to do the work of a full-fledged federal rulemaking. He said he and his allies will "look for every single vehicle between now and the end of the year that will go to the president's desk and add this language in there."

Edited by Nikhilesh De.

Letture associate

Report Analysis: What Is Coherent Planning as CPO Booms?

Title: Report Interpretation: What Moves Is Coherent Making Amid the CPO Boom? Summary: JP Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee reiterates an Overweight rating on Coherent (COHR), citing undervalued growth potential across three core areas: data center optical transceivers, co-packaged optics (CPO) chips, and industrial lasers/thermal management. COHR's 1.6T data center transceivers are in high demand, with pricing remaining firm. The rise of CPO is seen not as a threat but as a catalyst, creating higher demand for sophisticated optical components, an area where COHR holds a competitive edge with its comprehensive portfolio (lasers, isolators, VCSELs, thermoelectric coolers). Each CPO chip offers significantly greater revenue potential than traditional transceivers. Furthermore, its Optical Circuit Switch (OCS) technology targets a potential $4B market with reliability and power advantages. The company is expanding its InP (Indium Phosphide) device capacity fourfold within two years, securing substrate supply and transitioning to more cost-effective 6-inch wafers. As one of only two major suppliers of high-quality pump lasers—currently in severe shortage—COHR can now move up the value chain from components to complete line cards/systems, boosting ASP over tenfold. Gross margin targets (>42%) may be revised upward due to high-end product premiums, cost improvements from the wafer transition, and contributions from new high-margin products like CPO and OCS. Its efficient thermadite thermal material also offers long-term growth. Industrial segment revenue grows at a steady 5-10%, supported by semiconductor equipment orders. Changes in Apple's Face ID protocol present a re-competition opportunity for 3D sensing. Overall, Coherent is positioned as a key infrastructure provider, with AI-driven compute demand fueling the need for high-speed optical interconnectivity. Growth from CPO/OCS, stable industrial performance, and margin improvement support the bullish thesis. *Disclaimer: This summary interprets a third-party analyst report from JP Morgan. It does not constitute investment advice.*

marsbit12 min fa

Report Analysis: What Is Coherent Planning as CPO Booms?

marsbit12 min fa

After Laying Off 20% of Staff, What Are the Key Points of EF's New Structure?

Following the completion of a months-long organizational restructuring, the Ethereum Foundation (EF) announced a 20% workforce reduction (approximately 54 employees) on June 23rd. It reorganized its teams into five new core clusters: Protocol, Access, User, Community, and Institutional (plus Operations/Management support units). Officially, this move implements the EF's 2026 Mandate and 2025 Treasury Management Policy, aiming to create a more focused and "self-sovereign" organization. The restructuring prioritizes the CROPS principles—Censorship Resistance, Openness & Freedom, Privacy, and Security—as foundational organizational tenets. The Protocol cluster will focus on core protocol R&D, including MEV reduction and zkEVM. The Access cluster emphasizes preserving user "zero option" for non-custodial, permissionless interaction. The User, Community, and Institutional clusters will manage external engagement, with the latter handling institutional and regulatory matters. While offering enhanced severance and transition support for affected employees, the EF did not disclose budget allocations or specific KPIs for the new clusters. This has led to market uncertainty about the impact on project funding and development priorities. Analysts note the announcement's positive tone of mission focus contrasts with a backdrop of recent EF leadership changes and broader ecosystem pressures. The true impact—whether this signifies strategic realignment or reactive contraction—will become clearer as the new structure's resource allocation and project prioritization are revealed in the coming months.

marsbit22 min fa

After Laying Off 20% of Staff, What Are the Key Points of EF's New Structure?

marsbit22 min fa

Top-Tier MEV Bot Loses $7.5 Million: Is 'Approval' the Most Overlooked Fatal Risk On-Chain?

The article discusses a sophisticated attack on a prominent Ethereum MEV (Miner Extractable Value) bot, Jaredfromsubway.eth, resulting in a loss exceeding $7.5 million. Unlike typical exploits involving key leaks or smart contract bugs, this attack was a carefully orchestrated "reverse hunt." The attacker spent weeks deploying fake tokens and liquidity pools that mimicked legitimate assets like WETH and USDC. These pools were designed to appear as profitable arbitrage opportunities, tricking the automated bot's trading logic. During its normal operation, the bot was induced to grant ERC-20 token approvals to the malicious contracts. Once sufficient permissions were accumulated, the attacker drained the bot's funds by calling these pre-approved allowances. This incident highlights the often-underestimated risks associated with token approvals in Web3. The article explains that approvals are a fundamental mechanism, allowing smart contracts (like DEXs) to move a user's tokens on their behalf. However, risks arise from practices like granting infinite approvals, the persistence of approvals even after disconnecting from a dApp, and the potential for a once-trusted contract to become compromised later. The piece concludes with advice for managing approval risks: users should adopt the principle of least privilege (approving only the needed amount), use separate wallets for storage versus interactions, and regularly audit and revoke unnecessary approvals using tools like Revoke.cash. It also emphasizes the role of wallets like imToken in providing proactive defenses, such as risk warnings and clear, readable transaction signing interfaces, to help users make informed decisions. Ultimately, wallet security must extend beyond private key protection to include active management of token approvals.

marsbit27 min fa

Top-Tier MEV Bot Loses $7.5 Million: Is 'Approval' the Most Overlooked Fatal Risk On-Chain?

marsbit27 min fa

Precious Metals Decline Alongside, What Signal is Gold Sending to the Market?

Gold and silver prices have declined recently, moving in tandem with a sell-off in risk assets like South Korean semiconductor stocks. This is unusual, as gold typically rises when equities fall due to its safe-haven status. The synchronized drop signals a shift in market focus: it's not about finding safety, but about the rising cost of holding assets that do not yield interest. This cost is the real interest rate. The key driver is a change in Federal Reserve policy expectations under new Chair Kevin Warsh. Despite holding rates steady, the Fed's rhetoric has turned more hawkish, emphasizing persistent inflation risks. This has led markets to price in a "higher for longer" rate environment, increasing the appeal of cash and bonds while pressuring zero-yield assets like gold and tech stocks with high future cash flow valuations. Technically, gold breached the $4,100/oz support level, approaching the critical $4,000 psychological and technical zone. A break below could trigger accelerated selling from momentum traders and ETFs. While long-term supportive factors like central bank buying and geopolitical risks remain, short-term price action is dominated by liquidity and opportunity cost dynamics. The South Korean market meltdown, driven by crowded AI-trade unwinding, is a symptom—not the cause—of this broader macro repricing. Both markets are reacting to the same pressures: higher real rates and a stronger US dollar. In summary, the concurrent decline in equities and precious metals highlights that diverse assets can share exposure to a common macro variable—the price of money. The near-term path for gold and silver depends primarily on the persistence of Fed hawkishness, dollar strength, and real yields, which currently override their traditional safe-haven narratives.

marsbit37 min fa

Precious Metals Decline Alongside, What Signal is Gold Sending to the Market?

marsbit37 min fa

Trading

Spot
Futures
活动图片