SEC Threatens to Sue Coinbase Over Crypto Lending Programme

SEC Threatens to Sue Coinbase Over Crypto Lending Programme
The logo for Coinbase Global Inc, the biggest U.S. cryptocurrency exchange, is displayed on the Nasdaq MarketSite jumbotron and others at Times Square in New York on April 14, 2021. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters
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HONG KONG—The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has threatened to sue Coinbase Global Inc if the crypto exchange goes ahead with plans to launch a programme allowing users to earn interest by lending crypto assets, Coinbase said on Wednesday.

The SEC has issued Coinbase with a Wells notice, an official way it tells a company that it intends to sue the company in court, Paul Grewal, the company’s chief legal officer said in a blog post. He said Coinbase would delay the launch of its ‘Lend’ product until at least October as a result.