Poloniex Cleans House as Tokens Delisted for Fear of Being Called Securities

Poloniex Delisting Assets

Poloniex has given unfortunate news to enthusiasts of various assets supported through their platform. The popular exchange has announced that, due to ongoing regulatory uncertainty, they will be de-listing a variety of assets.

This event is a precautionary one, as the possibility exists that the structuring of these assets would classify them as securities. Fearing retribution from the SEC, Poloniex has decided to play it safe, and remove their support.

Uncertainty Remains

While the portfolio of offered assets on Poloniex remains strong, this does not mean that other assets can rest easy.

It has been made known, by various industry participants, over the past few weeks that uncertainty remains pervasive in the digital securities space. This is largely, in part, due to a lack of clarity afforded by United States regulatory body, the Security and Exchange Commission.

Until the SEC is able to provide more detailed guidance on these digital assets, expect to see more de-listings, for fear of these being dubbed securities.

Down and Out

The affected assets in this announcement total 9, which each unique in their structuring and target markets. They are as follows,

• Augur (REP)
• Omni (OMNI)
• Decred (DCR)
• Game (GAME)
• Ardor (ARDR)
• Bytecoin (BCN)
• Gas (GAS)
• Lisk (LSK)
• Nxt (NXT)

Commentary

In a statement to the public, Poloniex explained their reasoning for the delisting of various assets. The Poloniex team broke the news, to holders of these tokens, by stating the following.

“We are committed to complying with regulatory requirements in every jurisdiction. Today’s action is a result of regulatory uncertainty in the US market. Specifically, it is not possible to be certain whether US regulators will consider these assets to be securities.”

Despite this, the team continued, expressing optimism moving forward.

“We understand how frustrating this choice is for our customers, and for the crypto community more broadly. We believe in the power and potential of these assets, and will continue to focus time and energy on supporting positive policy and regulatory developments for crypto assets in the US and around the world.”

Poloniex

Poloniex is a Delaware based cryptocurrency exchange, which was launched in 2014. In the time since their launch, Poloniex has gone on to establish themselves as a leading exchange. Poloniex's reputation has been strengthened in the past year, since being acquired by Circle.

Circle

Circle is a Boston based company, which made waves in 2018, when their $400 million acquisition of Poloniex occurred. In the time since this move, Circle has worked to bring Poloniex in line with regulations, building a strong reputation, and growing the platform at the same time.

In Other News

While this is unfortunate news for enthusiasts of the affected assets, Poloniex doesn’t simply have a habit of delisting. In previous months, we have noted their addition of Polymath and their utility token for use through their security token’s tailored services.

Security Token Platform, Polymath (POLY), Listed on Growing Number of Exchanges