Cryptocurrencies and initial coin offerings (ICOs) were a recurring area of focus in presentations by multiple divisions of the Securities and Exchange Commission at its annual “The SEC Speaks” conference in Washington, DC on February 23-24, 2018. While the SEC does not seem to have reached consensus yet on how to treat this new, rapidly evolving and volatile segment of the economy, the panelists were clear that significant caution is warranted and that the Commission will apply existing regulatory requirements where the analogy seems appropriate.
