The court documents related to the Ripple v. SEC case include an old speech by William Hinman, the former head of corporate finance at the agency, in which he stated that Bitcoin and Ethereum are not securities.
In addition, Hinman contacted Vitalik Buterin, the co-founder of the second largest cryptocurrency by capitalization, to clarify the workings of the Ethereum Foundation.
He also suggested in an email to his department that Ethereum “should not be regulated in the way that it currently is – as a security.”
Ripple Labs believes that Hinman’s statements contradict the SEC’s accusations, which gives them a solid chance of a successful case.
This sentiment is shared by CEO Brad Garlinghouse, who expressed his confidence in the outcome.
