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Recently, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has been under the spotlight as concerns about its actions continue to roil the cryptocurrency market. Experts and lawmakers increasingly question the SECs conduct, calling for greater transparency and accountability.

One of the most pressing issues is the SECs handling of the XRP lawsuit against Ripple. Critics argue that the SECs actions have resulted in significant financial losses for retail investors. They contend that the SEC should be held accountable for its role in the market turmoil, especially as they question the validity of the SECs $770 million settlement demand, suggesting that XRP investors did not sustain any damages.

Furthermore, the SEC has faced criticism for its approach to regulating the cryptocurrency industry. Lawmakers have accused the SEC of disregarding its statutory obligations and hastily implementing new rules without thorough analysis or consideration of potential consequences. These actions have eroded the SECs credibility and respect among market participants, issuers, and investors.

In addition to the ongoing Ripple case, the SECs meetings with industry figures, including SBF and FTX officials, have raised eyebrows. These meetings occurred while allegations of fraud were unfolding, leading some lawmakers to speculate whether the SEC might be attempting to delay investigations or conceal evidence.

Despite mounting concerns and calls for accountability, the question remains whether the SEC will face any repercussions for its actions in the cryptocurrency industry. The crypto community and beyond closely monitor developments to see if meaningful changes or investigations into the SECs conduct will materialize.

Interestingly, despite the tumultuous situation, Bitcoin has continued to thrive. The cryptocurrency is presently trading at a crucial level of $35,000, demonstrating its resilience in the face of regulatory uncertainties.

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SEC Faces Scrutiny Over XRP Lawsuit and Cryptocurrency Regulation, While Bitcoin Remains Resilient - Coinpedia Fintech News

While many investors may still find crypto a viable addition to a well-diversified basket of stocks, you don't have to put cash into this high-risk class of investments in order to build a portfolio that stands up to the test of time. Even though stocks have been through their fair share of turmoil over the last 12 to 18 months, companies with promising businesses and paths forward to growth over the next five to 10 years abound.

If you have cash to invest in growth stocks right now -- money that you don't need for bills and other expenses in the foreseeable future and can instead let grow in your portfolio -- here are three names to consider the next time you go stock shopping.

Teladoc Health (TDOC 0.77%)isn't getting points from some investors if you look at its share price alone, but the trajectory of this telehealth business still looks promising even though growth has slowed from its pandemic heights.

Expecting pandemic-level growth to continue indefinitely would not have been realistic. While Teladoc has had to contend with some tough responses from investors partly because of a series of multibillion-dollar impairment charges it took on last year to write down the value of its pandemic acquisition of Livongo, those blistering losses (which were non-cash ones, I might add) appear to be receding slowly but surely.

The company ended the most recent quarter with more than 90 million members using its virtual services, which span from general medicine to dermatology to chronic condition management to mental healthcare. Teladoc serves a broad swath of customers -- from over half of the Fortune 500 to hospitals and health systems to individual healthcare consumers.

Revenue totaled $660 million for the latest three-month period, a solid 8% increase from one year ago. This was driven by an 8% growth in access fee revenue, such as those paid by employers so their workers can access Teladoc's services, and 10% growth in other revenue. The company's domestic revenue was up 7% from one year ago, but its international revenue popped by a whopping 17% on a year-over-year basis.

On the profitability front, Teladoc generated adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) to the tune of $89 million in the third quarter of 2023, a 73% hike from one year ago. The company also brought in free cash flow of $68 million for the three-month period. This doesn't even come close to looking like the story of a dying company.

Improvements to the bottom line are there, and Teladoc is growing its cash position and witnessing a steady uptick in revenue as its wide range of virtual health services continues to draw members from around the world. These are all good signs for the business moving forward, and patient investors may want to take note.

Etsy (ETSY 2.79%) is one of many e-commerce businesses that has had to contend with a challenging spending environment as fears of a recession remain ongoing and consumer belts remain tight.

Still, that isn't so much an issue to do with the underlying business itself as the environment in which it is operating right now. In the second quarter, Etsy -- which offers handmade and vintage items on its site -- reported gross merchandise sales (GMS) of $3 billion. That's down slightly from the same period in the prior year but up roughly 12% from three years ago. Consolidated revenue totaled about $630 million for the three-month period, up 8% from one year ago.

The Etsy marketplace, which accounts for most revenue and profits generated by the Etsy family of brands, achieved positive GMS growth on a year-over-year basis in May, June, and July, breaking the pattern of a series of months of negative year-over-year comparisons. It's also worth noting that as of the end of the second quarter, GMS per active buyer hit $128, a 28% increase from the same quarter in pre-pandemic 2019.

The company is also proving that even in this environment, it can retain consumer dollars and keep buyers coming back for more. New and reactivated buyers on the Etsy marketplace were up 7% year over year in the second quarter of 2023, while repeat buyers jumped an incredible 140% when compared to that cohort of shoppers four years ago. Etsy also brought in a net profit of more than $136 million in the first six months of 2023.

Over the long run, Etsy could still have plenty of growth to tap into as a leader in a unique niche of the wider e-commerce industry with its focus on specialty, vintage, and handmade goods. Long-term investors can snag a piece of the action.

Fiverr (FVRR 11.03%) got the attention of many investors earlier in the pandemic amid the work-from-home revolution. Although a difficult macro environment means businesses are spending less on talent in general, whether hiring full-time or freelance workers, that doesn't mean that this company is down for the count.

On the contrary, the company operates one of the world's leading platforms that connects freelancers with clients ranging from large public companies to mom-and-pop businesses to individual customers. Although Fiverr hasn't witnessed the explosive growth that it did during the pandemic of late, that doesn't mean the story is over for this business.

In fact, Fiverr has capitalized on the growth trajectory of its business as well as the freelance economy in the last few years to expand its platform's reach and set itself up for competitive growth over the long term. It just launched an AI-powered matching service called Fiverr Neo and introduced new services like Fiverr Business Solutions to help larger organizations connect with freelancers.

The company had 4.2 million active buyers using its platform as of the end of the second quarter. While that was flat on a year-over-year basis, that figure represented a 33% increase from the same quarter three years ago in 2020.

Average spending per buyer on Fiverr in the second quarter was $265, representing just 2% growth from a year ago but 44% growth from three years ago. Also important to note is Fiverr's steady uptick in its take rate of transactions. In the second quarter of 2020, that take rate was 27%. Now, it's just shy of 31%. Fiverr generated more than $32 million in net cash from operating activities in the first half of 2023.

This business is slowly but surely shaping up its financials, and as the macro environment improves with time, it looks well positioned to benefit from a recovery in dollars spent by businesses of all sizes.

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3 Growth Stocks With More Potential Than Any Cryptocurrency - The Motley Fool

Bitcoin has now more doubled in value this year in a surprising resurgence from a tumultuous 2022 that had some skeptics predicting the demise of digital assets. The largest cryptocurrencyby market value rallied for a third day, pushing the price back to around $35,000, the highest level in about 18 months. Bitcoin tumbled 64% last year amid industry scandals and bankruptcies.It reached a record of almost $69,000 in late 2021.Growing expectations that the US Securities and Exchange Commission will authorize exchange-traded funds that invest directly in the cryptocurrency after a decade of deliberation has fueled a more than 25% rally over the past two weeks.Sentiment is clearly bullish as more and more signs start to reveal what appears to be a likely, imminent listing for a spot Bitcoin ETF in the US, said Darius Tabatabai, co-founder at decentralized exchange Vertex Protocol.On Monday, a federal appeals court formalized a victory for Grayscale Investments LLC in its bid to create an ETF based on Bitcoin. Last week, Bitcoin briefly surged 10%, the highest price since August, on an erroneous report that BlackRock Inc had won SEC approval for an ETF.Tabatabai added that the exchange saw a new all-time record for shorts being liquidated over the past 24 hours, with one of the highest volume days ever. Bulls largely came roaring back and brought some much needed optimism to what has been a fairly bleak market for some time, Tabatabai said. Matthew J Maley, chief market strategist at Miller Tabak + Co, LLC, said that geopolitical strains are also contributing to the rally. I think investors are thinking that the increase in geopolitical hotspots in the world is raising the odds crypto will be an important currency quicker than they thought previously, Maley said. The three-day rally is the largest since March. When Silicon Valley Bank collapsed on March 10, Bitcoin rallied for four consecutive days, climbing above $26,000 for the first time since June of last year. While Bitcoin prices might experience a short-term price pullback, the currency is poised to continue rising over the long term, according to James Butterfill, head of research at CoinShares.Before the ETF hype, Bitcoins price closely mirrored the expected probabilities of a December rate hike, Butterfill said. As these probabilities decrease in light of increasing treasury yields, it seems it could further support prices, poising to shape the next bull market for Bitcoin over the longer term.

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Bitcoin has more than doubled this year in resurgence - IndiaTimes

Ranchi, Jharkhand: To strengthen the capabilities of law enforcement agencies and public prosecutors in dealing with cryptocurrency-related frauds, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), conducted an intensive one-day training session in Ranchi, Jharkhand on Tuesday.

Cryptocurrency and investment scams have been on the rise in recent years, posing significant challenges to law enforcement agencies. Recognizing the need to empower the police force and public prosecutors with the skills and knowledge required to tackle these evolving forms of financial fraud, the I4C organized this training.

The event was attended by a diverse group of law enforcement officers and public prosecutors, all eager to expand their expertise in dealing with cryptocurrency and investment frauds. The training focused on equipping participants with the necessary tools to investigate, prosecute, and prevent these scams effectively.

The one-day training session featured a series of informative and hands-on sessions. Experts from the I4C, along with cryptocurrency and financial fraud specialists, shared their insights and experiences. Some of the key highlights of the training included:

Participants were provided with a comprehensive overview of cryptocurrency, its technologies, and how it operates. This knowledge is essential for understanding the modus operandi of cryptocurrency-related scams.

The training delved into the various forms of investment scams that are prevalent in todays digital age. Officers learned how to recognize fraudulent schemes and protect potential victims from falling into these traps.

A vital part of the training involved educating the officers on the legal procedures necessary for handling cryptocurrency and investment fraud cases. The training emphasized the importance of adhering to due process while ensuring that scammers are brought to justice.

Participants were presented with real-world case studies, allowing them to apply their newfound knowledge to concrete examples. These case studies offered valuable insights into the investigation and prosecution of financial frauds.

The training program is a part of the broader efforts by the I4C and the Ministry of Home Affairs to enhance the nations cybersecurity infrastructure and combat cybercrimes effectively. Cryptocurrency and investment scams have cost individuals and organizations millions of rupees, and these initiatives are designed to curb these losses.

The I4C, MHA, and other law enforcement agencies plan to conduct more such training sessions across the country to ensure that officers and prosecutors are well-prepared to tackle the challenges posed by cryptocurrency and investment scams.

As the fight against financial fraud continues, the I4Cs efforts to educate and empower the frontline defenders of justice are bound to make a significant impact. With these training programs, law enforcement agencies aim to build a stronger, more secure environment for individuals and businesses in the digital age.

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Law Enforcement Gears Up: I4C Conducts Cryptocurrency and ... - The420.in