- The SEC closed its investigation into Immutable without enforcement action, signaling regulatory easing.
- The agency is shifting from enforcement-driven regulation under Acting Chair Mark Uyeda.
The U.S. SEC has concluded its investigation into the Ethereum [ETH]-based gaming platform Immutable without imposing any enforcement action, marking the end of five months of regulatory scrutiny.
For context, the SEC launched its probe into Immutable’s IMX token in October 2024 with a Wells Notice, investigating potential securities law violations.
Source: Immutable/X
Immutable vs. SEC concludes
Celebrating the victory, Immutable’s co-founder and president, Robbie Ferguson, stated,
“We are pleased the SEC has concluded its inquiry. This marks a significant milestone for the crypto industry and gaming as we advance towards a future with regulatory clarity.”
Ferguson highlighted the company’s enthusiasm for the U.S. government’s increasing regulatory clarity, emphasizing its positive impact on the industry.
He added,
“With a clear regulatory framework, we plan to accelerate our ambitions to bring digital ownership to the 3.1 billion gamers in the world.”
Community reaction
As expected, this news was well-received by the crypto community, as highlighted by Nicolas Schrik, who said,
“BIG. Big W for Immutable, and Web3 gaming as a whole.”
Adding to the fray was another X user who noted,
“Congrats lads. Big day.”
SEC’s shift in approach
That said, the SEC has moved further from its enforcement-driven approach under former Chair Gary Gensler by ending its investigation into Immutable.
With Acting Chair Mark Uyeda now at the helm, the agency is actively redefining its crypto regulatory strategy.
A Crypto Task Force, led by pro-crypto Commissioner Hester Peirce, has also been established to focus on oversight.
Additionally, the SEC has initiated industry roundtable discussions to encourage the development of clearer and more effective regulatory frameworks.
Other platforms that celebrated this win
In less than three months since President Donald Trump assumed office, the SEC has eased its aggressive crypto regulation stance.
The agency ended investigations into major platforms like Gemini, Robinhood, OpenSea, Yuga Labs, and Immutable without filing enforcement actions.
It also dismissed lawsuits against key industry players such as Kraken, Coinbase, ConsenSys, and Cumberland DRW. Additionally, the SEC paused ongoing cases against Tron and Binance, signaling a shift in its regulatory approach.
Why is Ripple still lagging?
Amid this regulatory shift, another notable development is that Ripple’s [XRP] prolonged legal battle with the SEC appears to be nearing its conclusion. This was hinted by the company’s Chief Legal Officer, Stuart Alderoty.
Source: Stuart Alderoty/X
With the SEC’s approach shifting significantly after Trump’s victory, the crypto community remains hopeful that Ripple will soon be freed from its legal battle, bringing much-needed relief to the entire industry.
