SEC enforcement actions fall 24%, crypto cases in spotlight

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed 348 enforcement actions in fiscal 2026, down 23.7% from 456 a year earlier.

Its annual enforcement results included cases involving alleged crypto fraud and failures in FTX’s audits.

In its Tuesday release, the SEC said it had charged three purported crypto trading platforms and four investment clubs in an alleged scheme that defrauded investors of at least $14 million. In a separate case, the agency accused the founder of a Bitcoin mining business of misappropriating $48.5 million after raising more than $95.6 million from about 6,400 investors.

In April, the SEC settled charges against Francis Decker, the Prager Metis partner who led FTX’s audits, over failures to meet professional auditing standards.

In February, a jury found Ismael Zarco Sanchez liable for securities fraud and registration violations over his role in the $300 million CryptoFX Ponzi scheme. In July, a court ordered Michael Noble to pay $1.07 million in a case over his role promoting BitConnect’s crypto lending program.

Fiscal 2026 was SEC Chair Paul Atkins’ first full fiscal year in office. The 348 enforcement actions were the agency’s fewest since 1991, according to a Reuters review of SEC records. Standalone actions fell to 235 from 303 a year earlier.