On May 13, 2019, Chris O'Brien published "Are Tokens Securities or Not?" in Blockchain Technology News. The following is an excerpt:
Are digital tokens issued by blockchain companies securities under U.S. law? Much of the industry, including several prominent law firms, has taken the position that they are not. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has consistently stated that many or even most are securities.
It recently issued a framework that laid out a host of criteria that will guide the agency's analysis. With the framework and its first blockchain no-action letter, the SEC has now articulated three scenarios where a digital token may not be a security: 1) if the token is merely a store of value like bitcoin; 2) pursuant to its no action letter, if the token exists in essentially a closed system designed for consumptive use only and has a fixed value pegged to the dollar; or 3) where the "efforts of others" prong from the Howey test is not met. The framework focuses mostly on the third case.
We will review the framework, and suggest a way to strengthen the SEC's standard to clarify how a digital token could transition to a non-security, even if it is initially issued as a security. We believe that if a clear and workable regime is not adopted soon, the United States risks being left behind in the race to unlock blockchain's transformative potential.