SEC Initiated 348 Enforcement Actions for Fiscal Year 2026

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released its enforcement report for the 2026 fiscal year. During this period, the regulator initiated 348 enforcement actions, including 235 standalone cases and 113 follow-on administrative proceedings. The SEC secured monetary penalties totaling $1.095 billion, of which $343 million were fines and $752 million were disgorgement of ill-gotten gains and interest.

Approximately $731 million has already been returned by the regulator to more than 250,000 affected investors. In two-thirds of the standalone cases, the SEC charged at least one individual.

A significant portion of the work involved the digital asset sector. Specifically, the agency filed charges against three pseudo-cryptocurrency exchanges and associated investment groups. According to the SEC, the organizers defrauded clients of at least $14 million through social media and transferred the funds abroad.

A separate case was opened by the commission against the founder of a bitcoin mining company. According to the investigation, he raised more than $95.6 million from 6,400 investors, misappropriated $48.5 million of investor funds, and spent a significant portion of this amount on gambling and gifts for relatives.

The regulator's claims also affected the audit of the cryptocurrency market. The SEC settled a dispute with a partner of an auditing firm whose negligence during audits of the bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX led to violations of accounting standards.

To tighten control over the crypto industry, the agency established the Super Intelligence Analytics and Technology Office. This new structure will monitor network anomalies and expedite the analysis of financial flows in the blockchain. Additionally, the SEC reached an agreement with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) for joint oversight of derivatives and complex financial products.

It is worth noting that in October, the regulator increased oversight of AI companies amid discussions of a bubble.