SEC Secures $4.9 Billion in Penalties, Bars 133 Individuals in Fiscal Year

Agency Cracks Down on Cryptocurrency Fraudsters, Distributes Nearly $1 Billion to Harmed Investors

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) secured more than $4.9 billion in financial penalties in its most recent fiscal year, marking the second-highest total in the agency's history.
The SEC barred 133 individuals from serving as officers and directors of public companies, the highest figure in a decade.
Enforcement actions included a nearly $179 million civil penalty against Denmark's Danske Bank and $400 million in combined civil penalties from 25 investment advisory firms, broker-dealers and credit rating agencies.
Under Chair Gary Gensler, the commission has also pursued cryptocurrency fraudsters, issuing charges against Terraform Labs and its founder Do Kwon and against Samuel Bankman-Fried, the CEO of collapsed crypto exchange FTX.
The SEC distributed nearly $1 billion to harmed investors and paid nearly $600 million to whistleblowers, the most in its history.