Ripple’s Top Lawyer Slams SEC for Market Suppression

As a seasoned crypto investor with a decade-long journey through the digital asset landscape, I find myself both amused and intrigued by the recent turn of events. The accusations levied by Stuart Alderoty against the SEC seem to echo my own suspicions about their role in the market. The prolonged uncertainty surrounding XRP‘s status has undeniably had a chilling effect on the crypto market, and it’s refreshing to see someone in a position of authority acknowledge this fact.


In response to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Ripple‘s top legal representative, Stuart Alderoty, alleges that the SEC’s behavior may be intentionally limiting the growth of the cryptocurrency market by taking actions that seem to suppress it.

Recenty on Twitter, Alderoty stated, “It appears that the actions of the SEC, and not just any efforts by others, were the ones significantly influencing cryptocurrency markets – by creating artificial reductions that lasted for a long time.

In December 2020, Ripple was taken to court by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), with claims that the company based in San Francisco had broken the law by offering XRP for sale without properly registering it as a security first.

As it transpired, the only ‘actions by others’ that significantly impacted the crypto markets – through creating artificial and sustained compression – were those taken by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

— Stuart Alderoty (@s_alderoty) December 2, 2024

Under the leadership of Gary Gensler, the agency took legal action against multiple digital currency firms such as Coinbase Inc. (Global) and Binance Ltd. (Holdings).

In essence, Bitcoin, being the largest digital currency, is categorized as a commodity. However, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), under the leadership of Gensler, argues that most other cryptocurrencies function as unregistered securities, thereby falling under its regulatory purview. The intention of Gensler to step down in January has reportedly fueled a rise in XRP’s price recently.

As a research analyst, I’ve noticed that digital assets previously classified as unregistered securities by the SEC, like ADA and SOL, have been positively impacted by the general sentiment surrounding these classifications.

XRP hits record inflow

The comments from Ripple’s chief legal officer come as XRP is seeing a $100 billion rise.

On Monday, XRP experienced a significant surge, temporarily placing it as the third-largest cryptocurrency globally. This upward trend was fueled by a massive $100 billion rally. The token reached a nearly seven-year peak of $2.50, last seen in January 2018. As a result, its market value skyrocketed to an impressive $139 billion, marking a substantial increase from just under $30 billion on November 5th.

Presently, as I’m typing this, XRP has increased by approximately 19% over the past 24 hours, reaching a price point of $2.28, based on data from CoinMarketCap. At present, it holds the fourth largest position among cryptocurrencies, with a total market value of around $130.29 billion.

As per the latest report from CoinShares, XRP experienced an all-time high of $95 million in inflows. This surge might be connected to the excitement surrounding the potential approval of a U.S. Exchange Traded Fund (ETF).

Positively speaking, WisdomTree has officially submitted a form S-1 to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a XRP spot Exchange Traded Fund (ETF), aligning themselves with Bitwise, 21Shares, and Canary who have also applied for an ETF that mirrors the daily value of XRP.

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2024-12-02 19:19