The United States Securities and Exchange Commission has imposed nearly $4.7 billion worth of enforcement actions against crypto firms and executives in 2024, an over 3,000% jump from 2023.
The SEC’s record-setting year was mostly boosted by its massive $4.47 billion settlement with Terraform Labs and its former CEO Do Kwon in June — its “largest enforcement action to date,” according to a Sept. 9 report from Social Capital Markets.
The regulator’s 11 enforcement actions in 2024 netted a 3,018% increase from its $150.3 million worth of fines in 2023 despite taking 19 fewer actions against crypto firms.
The total fine amounts included forfeiture, disgorgement, civil penalties, settlement and prejudgment interest, which were counted from when the SEC initiated the enforcement action.
This year’s hike in fines suggests the SEC has made a strategic shift toward targeting more influential cases.
“This trend indicates a strategic shift by the SEC toward fewer but larger fines, with a focus on making high-impact enforcement actions that set precedents for the entire industry,” the report stated.
The SEC hit the social messaging network Telegram with a $1.24 billion action in 2019, comprised of $18.5 million in civil penalties and $1.2 billion in disgorgement paid back to investors.
Social Capital Market said the case significantly contributed to the average fine rising nearly 2,000% year-on-year to over $70 million in 2019.
The next four years saw the average fine hover between $5 million and $35.2 million before the Terraform Labs case brought 2024’s average fine above $420 million.
GTV Media Group, Ripple Labs, and fraudsters John and Tina Barksdale are among those the SEC has fined with an enforcement amount exceeding $100 million.
That said, 46% of the fines imposed since 2020 have been below $1 million, while 30% fell between the $1 million and $10 million range.
