The SEC has formally announced that Ether is not a security. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Director of Corporate Finance William Hinman said that the commission would not be classifying ether or bitcoin as securities. Other comments of note include that if a cryptocurrency network is sufficiently decentralized and purchasers no longer have expectation of managerial stewardship from a third party, a coin is not a security. Also, labeling an investment opportunity as a "coin" or a "token" does not make something not a security. The facts and circumstances matter.
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