SEC Ends OpenSea Probe, Affirms NFTs Not Securities

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has concluded its investigation into OpenSea without pursuing enforcement action, affirming that NFTs are not classified as securities. This decision, announced on February 21, 2025, is seen as a significant victory for the NFT and web3 communities, with OpenSea's CEO, Devin Finzer, highlighting it as a step forward for innovation. The announcement led to a surge in the price and trading volume of OpenSea's native token, OCEAN, and positively impacted other NFT-related tokens and Ethereum. This outcome reflects a broader scaling back of crypto enforcement by the SEC, as similar actions were taken with Coinbase and Binance. The SEC’s decision provides regulatory clarity and boosts market confidence, mitigating previous concerns about the potential classification of NFTs as securities.