Charles Michael Yim, Founder and CEO of Cointopia:

“This is a huge win for the crypto and ICO space which, in turn, will have a trickle-down effect on the thousands of altcoins, placing a majority of them in a more favorable position. The ruling also allows the industry to have a more clear insight on the SEC’s position on crypto. We’ll see a positive impact in the short and long-term in the space overall.”

Fred Krueger, Founder and CEO, WorkCoin:

“We are quite excited about the announcement and the progression toward utilizing blockchain technology in our everyday lives (i.e. changing the world). This landmark decision is not only a huge stride for blockchain technology, but also helps pave the way for true utility tokens to emerge from the shadows. For example, peer to peer commerce now has the potential to be cheaper, faster, and more secure.”

Jukka Hilmola, Co-founder and CEO, Soma – Decentralized Social Marketplace:

“It’s really refreshing to see government agencies considering the nuances of the blockchain space. Rather than acting in an adversarial manner, which could stifle innovation, they’re showing a thoughtful approach that really is trying to balance the needs of consumer protection with those of technological progress.”

Mark Jeffrey, Co-founder and CEO, Guardian Circle:

“It’s great to see the SEC has taken a reasonable position that Ethereum is not a security. Ethereum held one of the very first ICO’s to fund future development of the Ethereum token and protocol — and yet, the SEC has wisely opted not to retroactively classify these early tokens as a future.  The United States still has a long way to go to catch up with the rest of the world on providing a crypto-friendly and clear regulatory environment, but this is a fantastic first step.”

Michael Terpin, Founder and CEO, Transform Group and CoinAgenda

“Having been there at the dawn of the Ethereum white paper, I remember the caution and deliberation that led to choosing a Switzerland foundation as the form and jurisdiction.  Four years later, we now have seen ether proven as a token to enable software and smart contracts, not as equity. It’s still very early in the game, but the SEC has correctly defined ether as not being a security.  Eventually, we hope they join the forward thinking regulators in Wyoming to distinguish between scarcity-derived software products and services versus equity or debt instruments.”

Kevin April, CEO of SportsCastr:

“Of course ETH isn’t a security” would be the first response of most in the cryptocurrency industry. But that doesn’t downplay the importance of the SEC’s acknowledgement. The announcement is a positive sign for companies focussed on building decentralized eco-systems. There are many obstacles blockchain companies face, and we are hungry for clear guidance and positions from regulators like the SEC. This is an important milestone for the industry and for the global cryptocurrency community.”

Miles Paschini, CEO of B21 – B21:

“The SEC providing clarity on the classification of Ether and Bitcoin (and confirming they are not securities) is a good start in defining the differences between cryptocurrency and their counterpart tokens. This move certainly should ease market concerns in regards to cryptocurrency as the SEC have defined them. It will be interesting to see how thing unfold as to the treatment of utility, DApp and security tokens. The interesting part will be whether there is a recognition of DApp and utility tokens similar to regulation recently put into place in Wyoming and in places like Gibraltar.”

Abe Cambridge, Founder & CEO, Sun Exchange:

“Trying to compare crypto assets to traditional financial instruments is like trying to fit a four-dimensional digital hole into a wooden peg. This clarification from the SEC is great for the blockchain industry as investments into innovative smart data products can now happen without second-guessing how they are perceived by regulators.”

Sky Guo, CEO and Co-Founder of Cypherium:

“It’s great to see more regulatory clarity with regards to blockchain technology.  The race towards decentralization has really just begun.”