The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has clarified its stance on proof-of-work (PoW) mining, confirming that the activity does not fall under securities regulations.
The latest guidance puts to rest concerns about whether Bitcoin miners need to register their operations with the regulator, stating that mining does not involve "the offer and sale of securities."
The SEC's latest statement seeks to eliminate confusion surrounding the legal status of cryptocurrency mining.
Proof-of-work, which underpins Bitcoin and other digital assets, relies on miners using computational power to solve cryptographic puzzles, validate transactions, and secure blockchain networks.
In return, miners receive newly minted digital coins as rewards.
Source: coincodex.com
Concerns over regulatory classification had lingered, particularly as the previous SEC administration scrutinized proof-of-stake (PoS) networks.
Under former Chair Gary Gensler, the regulator had argued that staking—where crypto holders earn passive income by pledging assets to secure a network—could meet the Howey test criteria, making such tokens securities.
However, the SEC now draws a clear distinction between the two mechanisms.
The SEC said in its statement,
"By adding its computational resources to the network, the miner merely is engaging in an administrative or ministerial activity to secure the network, validate transactions and add new blocks, and receive rewards."
A key factor in the SEC’s determination is that PoW mining does not satisfy the "efforts of others" condition of the Howey test, which is used to determine whether an asset is a security.
Since miners operate independently—rather than depending on a third party to generate profits—the SEC confirmed that their activities do not fall under its jurisdiction.
The guidance applies to both solo miners and mining pools, which combine computational resources for a higher chance of earning rewards.
The regulator made no direct mention of specific cryptocurrencies, but Bitcoin and Dogecoin are the two largest PoW assets by market capitalisation.
Ethereum, which originally ran on proof-of-work, transitioned to proof-of-stake in 2022.
The announcement is expected to ease concerns within the crypto mining sector, particularly among large-scale operations that had faced uncertainty under past SEC leadership.
Bitcoin mining firms such as Marathon Digital (MARA), Riot Platforms (RIOT), and Bitfarms (BITF) may see renewed confidence from investors as a result.
For years, miners have expressed frustration over regulatory ambiguity.
The latest SEC guidance offers a more stable outlook, allowing proof-of-work miners to operate without the risk of being classified under securities laws.
The SEC’s approach to cryptocurrency has seen a notable change following the election of President Donald Trump.
The new leadership has moved to clarify rules for the industry while dropping several lawsuits and investigations initiated under the previous administration.
Meanwhile, attention now turns to the Senate Banking Committee, where Paul Atkins, Trump’s nominee for SEC Chair, is set to appear for a nomination hearing next Thursday.
If approved by the committee, Atkins’ nomination will proceed to a full Senate vote for confirmation.
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