Bitcoin Breakthroughs: Court Overturns SEC Rule, Gensler Resigns, Goldman Expands Crypto Operations, and China's Evolving Stance
On
Thursday, November 21, 2024, bitcoin reached a record-breaking
milestone, briefly surpassing $99,000 before settling back to $98,000.
This
latest surge has sparked widespread anticipation, with speculation on
whether bitcoin will reach the highly anticipated $100,000 mark by the
end of the week.
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas struck down the SEC's "Dealer Rule," ruling that the agency exceeded its statutory authority.
This
decision marked a significant victory for the Texas Blockchain Council,
Blockchain Association, and Crypto Freedom Alliance of Texas.
It
protects the digital asset industry from what critics called the SEC’s
overreach and arbitrary rulemaking, reinforcing the limits of the
agency’s regulatory powers under the Exchange Act. Industry leaders
praised the ruling as a crucial step toward safeguarding innovation and
ensuring a pro-crypto regulatory environment.
The announcement of Gary Gensler’s resignation as SEC Chair via X, formerly Twitter, will be effective January 20, 2025.
His
departure marks a significant moment for the cryptocurrency industry.
Known for his tough regulatory stance, Gensler's exit follows former
President Donald Trump’s campaign promise at the 2024 Bitcoin Conference
in Nashville, TN, to remove Gensler on “day one” of a potential new
term.
The industry anticipates a shift toward
more balanced regulations under new leadership, fostering more
transparent rules and greater institutional adoption of digital assets.
Goldman Sachs
plans to spin off its cryptocurrency platform into a new company
focused on creating and trading blockchain-based financial instruments
with strategic partners like Tradeweb Markets.
Pending
regulatory approvals, the spinout, expected within 12 to 18 months,
aims to target financial institutions with tokenized real-world assets
and permissioned blockchain solutions, capitalizing on the growing
demand for tokenized Treasury bills and ETFs.