Consensys 起诉 SEC，挑战以太币的安全分类

MetaMask 加密货币钱包的创始人 Consensys 已对 SEC 提起诉讼，寻求阻止该机构对涉嫌证券违规行为采取执法行动。该诉讼旨在澄清以太币（按市值计算第二大加密货币）作为证券的地位，美国证券交易委员会此前曾表示过这一点，但并未明确证实。

Consensys Initiates Legal Proceedings Against SEC to Challenge Ether's Security Classification

Consensys 对 SEC 提起法律诉讼，挑战 ETH 的安全分类

In a preemptive move to avert an impending enforcement action, Consensys, the software development firm behind the popular MetaMask cryptocurrency wallet, has filed a lawsuit against the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The lawsuit aims to compel the agency to clarify its stance on whether ether (ETH), the second-largest cryptocurrency by market capitalization, constitutes a security.

为了避免即将发生的执法行动，流行的 MetaMask 加密货币钱包背后的软件开发公司 Consensys 已对美国证券交易委员会 (SEC) 提起诉讼。该诉讼旨在迫使该机构澄清其对市值第二大加密货币以太坊（ETH）是否构成证券的立场。

On April 10, Consensys received a "Wells Notice" from the SEC, indicating the agency's intent to pursue an enforcement action against the company. The notice alleges that Consensys violated the Securities and Exchange Act of 1933 by offering unregistered securities through its MetaMask Swaps and MetaMask Staking products.

4 月 10 日，Consensys 收到 SEC 发出的“威尔斯通知”，表明该机构打算对该公司采取执法行动。该通知称，Consensys 通过其 MetaMask Swaps 和 MetaMask Stake 产品提供未经注册的证券，违反了 1933 年《证券交易法》。

MetaMask Swaps allows users to trade digital assets through decentralized exchanges, while MetaMask Staking connects to Ethereum-based services that reward participants for holding and securing the network.

MetaMask Swaps 允许用户通过去中心化交易所交易数字资产，而 MetaMask Stake 连接到基于以太坊的服务，奖励参与者持有和保护网络。

Joseph "Joe" Lubin, co-founder of Ethereum and CEO of Consensys, expressed concern over the SEC's lack of clarity regarding ether's status. "It appears to us that the SEC is interested in slowing, harming, or destroying Ethereum and in disconnecting American developers and users from the Ethereum network," he said.

以太坊联合创始人兼 Consensys 首席执行官 Joseph“Joe”Lubin 对 SEC 对以太坊地位缺乏明确性表示担忧。他说：“在我们看来，美国证券交易委员会的兴趣是减缓、损害或摧毁以太坊，并切断美国开发商和用户与以太坊网络的连接。”

"We find it bizarre that Chair [Gary] Gensler hasn't been able to say, unlike so many before him in the SEC and the CFTC, whether ether is a security. So we wonder if the court can be made to finally rule on that issue."

“我们觉得奇怪的是，与 SEC 和 CFTC 的许多前任主席不同，[Gary] Gensler 主席无法明确以太币是否是一种证券。因此，我们想知道是否可以让法院做出最终裁决那个问题。”

An SEC spokesperson declined to comment on the lawsuit.

美国证券交易委员会发言人拒绝就该诉讼发表评论。

Consensys' legal challenge highlights a long-standing frustration within the cryptocurrency industry over the SEC's perceived lack of clarity on the classification of digital assets, particularly ether. The agency faces a May deadline to rule on applications for spot exchange-traded funds (ETFs) based on ether from major investment firms such as BlackRock and Fidelity.

Consensys 的法律挑战凸显了加密货币行业长期以来对 SEC 认为数字资产（尤其是以太币）分类缺乏明确性的不满。该机构面临着 5 月份的最后期限，对贝莱德和富达等主要投资公司基于以太坊的现货交易所交易基金 (ETF) 的申请进行裁决。

Notably, ether has been conspicuously absent from the list of tokens that the SEC has previously identified as unregistered securities in its enforcement actions against Coinbase, Kraken, and Binance over the past year. This omission has raised questions about the agency's stance on ether.

值得注意的是，在过去一年中，SEC 在针对 Coinbase、Kraken 和 Binance 的执法行动中，将以太币明确排除在 SEC 认定为未注册证券的代币清单中。这一遗漏引发了人们对该机构对以太币立场的质疑。

Former SEC senior officials have criticized the agency's inconsistent approach, arguing that it creates uncertainty for market participants. In 2018, former SEC Director of Corporate Finance William Hinman stated that ether was sufficiently decentralized to no longer meet the standards of the Howey Test, which determines what constitutes an investment contract and would therefore be subject to U.S. securities laws.

美国证券交易委员会前高级官员批评该机构不一致的做法，认为这给市场参与者带来了不确定性。 2018 年，前 SEC 企业财务总监 William Hinman 表示，以太坊已经足够去中心化，不再符合 Howey 测试的标准，该测试决定什么构成投资合同，因此将受到美国证券法的约束。

However, Gensler has since hinted that ether could be considered a security, without explicitly stating so.

然而，Gensler 此后暗示以太坊可以被视为一种证券，但没有明确说明。

"I do think this is the case where we get the answer to whether ether falls within a definition of security once and for all," said Paul Grewal, Coinbase's chief legal officer. "I can't imagine any way that that can be resolved other than the court entering a judgment on that basic question. And I think everybody knows the answer: ether is not a security, it's a commodity."

Coinbase 首席法律官 Paul Grewal 表示：“我确实认为，在这种情况下，我们可以一劳永逸地得到以太币是否属于安全定义的答案。” “除了法院对这个基本问题做出判决之外，我无法想象有什么办法可以解决这个问题。我认为每个人都知道答案：以太不是一种证券，而是一种商品。”

The lawsuit has had minimal impact on the price of ether, which has declined by 0.8% to $3,142 in the past 24 hours.

该诉讼对以太币价格影响甚微，过去 24 小时内以太币价格下跌 0.8% 至 3,142 美元。

The outcome of Consensys' legal challenge will have significant implications for the cryptocurrency industry, providing much-needed clarity on the regulatory status of ether and potentially influencing the SEC's approach to other digital assets in the future.

Consensys 法律挑战的结果将对加密货币行业产生重大影响，为以太坊的监管状况提供急需的清晰度，并可能影响 SEC 未来对其他数字资产的处理方式。