Coinbase's disclosure documents show that the New York Attorney General had requested the SEC to classify ETH as a security

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Coinbase recently obtained and publicly disclosed a batch of internal communication documents from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), which show that the New York Attorney General's Office requested the SEC to clarify the classification of Ethereum (ETH) as a security during its lawsuit against KuCoin in 2023.

Shamiso Maswoswe, Director of the New York Investor Protection Bureau, stated in a letter that she hoped the SEC would submit an amicus curiae brief supporting the view that ETH is a security to strengthen investor protection. However, the SEC ultimately did not adopt that request, but the documents revealed the agency's internal discussions on the classification issue of ETH, especially after Ethereum transitioned to a PoS consensus mechanism. Coinbase stated that this disclosure aims to enhance regulatory transparency and promote public understanding of cryptocurrency asset regulatory policies.