In 2018, ICOs raised over $7.8 billion USD—up $1.6 billion from the year 2017. Most of these 2018 funds were raised in the first three months of the year. Cryptocurrencies have been on the decline ever since. Yesterday, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) released their new guide to ICOs. This new SEC ICO guide seems oddly timed, considering the fundraising tactic has decreased dramatically.

Our guide to initial coin offerings: https://t.co/N1cfvEjmM6
— SEC_News (@SEC_News) February 10, 2019

SEC ICO Guide

The US regulator released the news of its new guide via Twitter and over its website. There is now a dedicated section on the SEC’s website that lists five aspects of ICOs the SEC considers “essential.” The regulator has also added a section for market professionals and investors.

It remains unknown at this time why it was announced just now, considering the content has existed on the site since March of 2018.

The main ICO guide page explains:

“Companies and individuals are increasingly considering initial coin offerings (ICOs) as a way to raise capital or participate in investment opportunities. While these digital assets and the technology behind them may present a new and efficient means for carrying out financial transactions, they also bring increased risk of fraud and manipulation because the markets for these assets are less regulated than traditional capital markets.”