U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Commissioner Caroline A. Crenshaw sharply criticized a new staff statement on liquid staking activities published by the SEC’s Division of Corporate Finance.
Crenshaw argued that this clarification further exacerbates legal uncertainty rather than providing clarity for investors.
Crenshaw stated that the statement contains numerous assumptions about liquid staking, and that these assumptions are not consistent with industry practices. “The Liquid Staking Statement presents a structure of assumptions stacked on top of each other, with little connection to reality,” Crenshaw said, adding that this situation creates confusion rather than provides direction for the industry.
Crenshaw noted that even in the footnotes to the statement, staff stated that the broad legal inferences made were only valid as long as the stated assumptions held true, and that these warnings did not provide legal assurance. He stated, “When liquid staking activities deviate even slightly from the assumptions in the statement, that activity falls outside the scope of this statement.”
Crenshaw reminded that the statement reflects only the staff’s opinion and does not represent the Commission’s official stance, and urged caution from companies offering liquid staking services. “A statement filled with assumptions and limited legal scope will not provide clarity to the industry,” he said. “The message for those navigating this uncertainty is clear: A warning to liquid staking: be careful,” he said.
You can access liquid staking-related altcoins and the SEC’s previous bullish statement in the news below:
*This is not investment advice.
