The long-running legal battle between Ripple and the SEC is finally over, at least for now. A judge ruled that Ripple should pay a $125 million fine for breaking securities laws. This means both Ripple and the SEC will have to move on, but they could still appeal the decision.
What’s Next for Ripple and the SEC?
Ripple has to pay the fine for selling XRP to investors without registering the transactions. The judge ruled that Ripple broke the law with these sales, but XRP itself isn’t a security. This is considered a win for Ripple, as the fine is much lower than the SEC originally wanted. Ripple’s lawyers said they’ll pay the fine and move on with their business.
The judge also ordered Ripple to stop breaking securities laws in the future. This is considered a simple order that won’t be a big problem for Ripple. However, the judge didn’t say whether Ripple broke the law with its On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) service, so it’s still unclear how that will be handled.
Could This Be the End?
Both Ripple and the SEC have 60 days to appeal the decision. Ripple is unlikely to appeal, as they seem happy with the outcome. The SEC hasn’t said whether they’ll appeal, but some legal experts think they might because they disagree with the judge’s ruling on secondary sales. If the SEC appeals, the battle could continue for a long time.
