The United States Securities and Exchange Commission has imposed nearly $4.7 billion worth of enforcement actions against crypto firms and executives in 2024 — an over 3,000% jump from 2023.
The SEC’s record-setting year was mostly boosted by its massive $4.47 billion settlement with Terraform Labs and former CEO Do Kwon in June — its “largest enforcement action to date,” according to a Sept. 9 report from Social Capital Markets.
The regulator’s 11 enforcement actions in 2024 have seen it net a 3,018% increase from its $150.3 million worth of fines last year, despite it having 19 fewer actions laid against crypto firms.
The total monetary enforcement amount won by the SEC this year eclipses the combined total amount between 2013 and 2023. Source: Social Capital Markets
The total fine amounts include forfeiture amount, disgorgement, civil penalties, settlement amount, and prejudgment interest and were counted from the time that the SEC initiated the enforcement action.
This year’s hike in fines suggests the SEC has made a strategic shift toward targeting more influential cases.
“This trend indicates a strategic shift by the SEC toward fewer but larger fines, with a focus on making high-impact enforcement actions that set precedents for the entire industry,” the report said.
The SEC hit social messaging network Telegram with a $1.24 billion action in 2019, comprised of $18.5 million in civil penalties and $1.2 billion in disgorgement paid back to investors.
This case significantly contributed to the average fine rising nearly 2,000% year-on-year to over $70 million in 2019, Social Capital Market’s data shows.
The next four years saw the average fine hover between $5 million and $35.2 million before the Terraform Labs case brought 2024’s average fine above $420 million.
GTV Media Group, Ripple Labs, and fraudsters John and Tina Barksdale are among those who the SEC hit with an enforcement amount exceeding $100 million.
That said, 46% of the fines imposed since 2020 have been below $1 million, while 30% fell between the $1 million and $10 million range.
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