Ripple Labs has reached a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over allegations of selling unregistered securities. The company agreed to pay a reduced fine of $50 million, down from the initially imposed $125 million. This settlement concludes a significant legal battle and reflects a potentially more lenient regulatory approach toward the crypto industry. Ripple did not admit wrongdoing, and the SEC dropped its appeal regarding XRP tokens sold on public exchanges not qualifying as securities.​