tl;dr
Ripple Labs has argued that the recent $4.5 billion Terraform Labs settlement is evidence its proposed Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) penalty should be reduced to $10 million. The SEC had proposed a penalty of $2 billion, but Ripple now claims the Terraform Labs case supports a lower penal...
Ripple Labs has argued that the recent $4.5 billion Terraform Labs settlement is evidence its proposed Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) penalty should be reduced to $10 million. The SEC had proposed a penalty of $2 billion, but Ripple now claims the Terraform Labs case supports a lower penalty.
Ripple's chief legal officer criticized the SEC for seeking a penalty far exceeding the range seen in similar cases, despite no allegations of fraud or substantial losses by institutional buyers in the Ripple case. The lawsuit against Ripple began in late 2020 when the SEC sued Ripple Labs and co-founders, alleging that XRP is an unregistered security.
Since then, XRP's market cap has grown to $26 billion, making it the eighth-largest asset. Ripple argued in a letter filed in its Securities and Exchange Commission court battle that the recent $4.5 billion Terraform Labs settlement is evidence its proposed penalty should be reduced to $10 million. The SEC had earlier proposed that Ripple Labs pay a civil penalty of $2 billion.
In the Terraform Labs case, the alleged $40 billion investor loss led to a $3.6 billion disgorgement and $420 million in civil penalties for a total settlement of just over $4 billion. Ripple noted that "This civil penalty represents approximately 1.27% of defendants' $33 billion gross sales," and in other cases, "the SEC has agreed to civil penalties ranging from 0.6% to 1.8% of the defendant's gross revenues." But in the Ripple case, the "SEC seeks a civil penalty far exceeding that range, even though there are no allegations of fraud in this case and institutional buyers did not suffer substantial losses," the company's lawyers wrote in their letter.
When the Terraform Labs settlement was announced, Stephen Alderoty, Ripple's chief legal officer, criticized the SEC for seeking publicity. He emphasized that the SEC has become preoccupied with getting press for its efforts. The lawsuit against Ripple has been ongoing since late 2020 when the SEC sued Ripple Labs and co-founders Christian Larsen and CEO Brad Garlinghouse alleging that XRP is an unregistered security.
At the time of the lawsuit, XRP was the third-largest cryptocurrency behind Bitcoin and Ethereum with a $20.7 billion market capitalization. Since then, its market cap has grown to $26 billion, becoming the eighth-largest asset.
More about MicroStrategy Incorporated
MicroStrategy Incorporated provides global business analysis software and services. The company is headquartered in Tysons Corner, Virginia.
Sector: TECHNOLOGY
Industry: SERVICES-PREPACKAGED SOFTWARE
Revenue: 26320173000
Dividend Yield: None
Market Cap: None
Price/Earnings Ratio: -10.68
EPS: 32.62
Profit Margin: -0.174
Shares Outstanding: 489592000
Beta: 1756.95
Volatility: -0.775
Return on Equity: -0.055