WASHINGTON—The Securities and Exchange Commission is investigating the startup behind one of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges, as regulators probe further into parts of the digital-asset market that have resisted oversight, according to people familiar with the matter.
Regulators are examining Uniswap Labs, the main developer of the world’s largest decentralized exchange, called Uniswap, the people said. Enforcement attorneys are seeking information about how investors use Uniswap and how it is marketed, the people said.
A spokesman for Uniswap Labs said the company is “committed to complying with the laws and regulations governing our industry and to providing information to regulators that will assist them with any inquiry.” An SEC spokeswoman declined to comment, saying the agency doesn’t confirm or deny investigations.
Decentralized exchanges are hubs of a fast-growing crypto marketplace known as decentralized finance, or DeFi. The term DeFi encompasses a variety of projects that seek to automate traditional financial activities, such as trading or lending, using cryptocurrencies. Software developers write the computer code that powers the projects, which typically operate on the Internet as “protocols”—ways for distributed networks of computers to communicate with each other, without a central server running the program. The developers often say they no longer control the protocols, which could diminish their liability under securities laws.
SEC Chairman Gary Gensler has said DeFi projects aren’t immune from regulatory scrutiny. They may still be controlled by developers or middlemen that benefit from incentives such as trading fees and digital tokens that give holders governance rights over the program, he has said.
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https://www.wsj.com/articles/regulators-investigate-crypto-exchange-developer-uniswap-labs-11630666800
I don't like this route these guys are taking of probing a dex, honestly it's a witch hunt ! Are these guys trying to pin these guys for getting incentives from fees and there after the tax man comes after these guys...