Hinman Documents Unsealed! Ripple Price Surges Almost 10% With $1.8 billion Increase In Market Value

Updated: 13 June 2023

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Ripple (XRP) price has reacted to the release of the Hinman documents, rising almost 10% to record a $1.8 billion increase in market value within an hour. Pro-XRP lawyer John Deaton, whose assertions came after Judge Analisa Torres rejected the US Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) motion to keep these documents under wraps, had committed to unsealing the documents.

Stand by b/c I’m moving @CryptoLawUS weekly livestream from Tuesday June 13 to June 14 – the 5th Anniversary of the Hinman Speech. We will have had 12-24 hours to read the emails, comments and drafts. And I promise an all star lineup of guests to help process what it all means. https://t.co/omZm9pXVZb

— John E Deaton (@JohnEDeaton1) June 1, 2023

For context, the documents trace back to 2020 when the SEC alleged that Ripple and its executives illegally sold XRP tokens. At this point, it is worth mentioning that XRP, the native token of the XRPLedger, was created in 2012 without prior registration as a security. Hinman suggested in his 2018 speech that bitcoin (BTC) and ether (ETH) were not securities.

We do not need to see a need to regulate Ether, as it is currently offered, as a security,” one of the Hinman emails read.

Accordingly, the financial regulator argues that Ripple violated laws by conducting a $1.3 billion unregistered securities offering. Ripple Labs challenged Hinman’s remarks, arguing that XRP should not be considered a security.

Hinman Documents and their Relevance in Ripple vs. SEC Lawsuit

Officially recognized as William Hinman’s emails, Hinman documents were touted as a key factor in Ripple’s defense against the SEC. In the latest report, several hundred pages of documents have been released in the SEC vs. Ripple case, as seen on Courtlistener.com.

Motion for summary judgment and documents filed by Ripple’s legal team and executives Brad Garlinghouse and Chris Larsen are available. The public can review and perusal. These are supporting legal documents and motions by Ripple.

In these documents, the former SEC Division of Corporation Finance director sheds light on the regulator’s understanding of cryptocurrencies. It also provides insight into whether assets like Ethereum are securities or non-securities. William Hinman’s emails also shed light on the US financial regulator’s internal discussions and stand on “cryptocurrencies being treated as securities.”

Hinman emails could support Ripple’s defense and help determine whether “fair notice” was given. The emails will also indicate the SEC’s stance on treating altcoins and crypto assets as securities.

Trading and Markets Department Comments on Hinman Documents

The Trading and Markets Department has commented on the documents. In their opinion, the speech delivered what the public has been asking from the financial regulator and was very supportive of the speech and what it was communicating.

HIGHLIGHTS: Trading and Markets Department Expresses Support for Hinman’s Speech on Cryptocurrency Regulations https://t.co/7Ux4NgFxlL

— ChainHub (@ChainHub_News) June 13, 2023

The department has also indicated that taking too strong of a view on BTC could undermine the SEC’s efforts toward other cryptocurrencies that are securities. It also expressed concerns about the sentiment in the section saying that ether was not a security, saying:

If Hinman wanted to make a blanket statement that ether is not a security, this would need further internal discussion.

It is worth mentioning that the contents of the email, and the ensuing outcome of the case, will provide useful insights and context for other crypto entities like Binance and Coinbase that are currently under regulatory clampdown. In the legal complaint against Coinbase, the SEC listed at least 13 crypto assets that the agency claimed Coinbase made available to customers, including Solana (SOL) and Cardano (ADA).

Specifically, the outcome of the case directly impacts XRP price and could have implications for the overall cryptocurrency community. This explains why XRP holders closely follow the legal battle updates.

Ripple Price Rises 7% As Lawyer Deaton Unseals Hinman Documents

Ripple (XRP) price spiked a staggering 7% upon the release to break above a critical resistance level at $0.542. At the time of writing, XRP is exchanging hands for $0.560 with a rising Relative Strength Index (RSI). This, coupled with the Awesome Oscillators (AO) position in the positive zone, suggests growing momentum.

Ripple price Hinman — TradingView Chart: XRP/USDT 1-Day Chart

Bulls sustaining this accumulation pattern could bode well for the remittance token, delivering more gains for investors.

However, the rally could be interrupted by early profit-taking as investors hedge their XRP after breaking even. A downtrend could also come because of retail traders looking to collect an easy profit after the recent spike.