Coinbase shares surged after a Manhattan federal judge dismissed a class-action suit against the crypto exchange.
The complaint claimed Coinbase engaged in the unregistered sale and offering of securities and had failed to register as a New York state broker-dealer.
The plaintiffs had also claimed that Coinbase’s marketing showed an effort to solicit a sale of securities. Engelmayer dismissed that argument.
The suit was filed in October 2021 and implicated Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong as the primary “control person” at the exchange.
The company declined to comment on the ruling. It comes as Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler aggressively pursues actions in the crypto space