Correspondence 0001493152-24-018043 from BTCS Inc. (BTCS)
BTCS Inc.
Date: May 7, 2024 · CIK: 0001436229 · Accession: 0001493152-24-018043
AI Filing Summary & Sentiment
File numbers found in text: 001-40792
Referenced dates: April 24, 2024
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CORRESP
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filename1.htm
BTCS
Inc.
9466
Georgia Avenue #124
Silver
Spring, MD 20910
May
7, 2024
VIA
EDGAR
Securities
and Exchange Commission
Division
of Corporation Finance
Office
of Crypto Assets
Re:
BTCS
Inc.
Form
10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2022
Form
10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2023
File
No. 001-40792
Ladies
and Gentlemen:
This
letter is submitted by BTCS Inc. (the “Company” or “BTCS”) in response to the comment letter dated April 24,
2024 issued by the Staff of the Division of Corporation Finance (the “Staff”) of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the
“Commission”) with respect to the Company’s Form 10-K for the Fiscal Year Ended December 31, 2022 and the Fiscal Year
Ended December 31, 2023.
For
your convenience, each of the Staff’s comments have been restated below in their entirety, with the Company’s responses set
forth immediately beneath such comment.
Form
10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 filed March 21, 2024 Business, page3
1. Refer
to your response to our prior comment 1. Your disclosure on page 4 that “StakeSeeker
. . . strategically seeks to entice users with its features” and that “[o]ne
underlying strategic objective of the platform is to drive the expansion of Delegators to
[y]our validator nodes” appears to be inconsistent with your response to comment 17
of our September 21, 2023 letter in which you state that you “[do] not use behavior
prompts, differential marketing, game-like features, other design elements or features designed
to engage with retail investors,” that you “do not encourage retail investors
to invest in different products or change investment strategies or give investment advice,”
and that you “do not use any optimization functions (e.g., to increase platform revenues,
data collection, and customer engagement).” Please advise, and, in future filings,
please clarify the role of your StakeSeeker platform.
Response:
In
response to the SEC’s comment, it is crucial to delineate the distinct roles and functionalities
of the StakeSeeker platform as a cryptocurrency educational website versus the regulated
activities typically associated with an investment advisor providing investment advice.
It
is also important to understand that the “features” referenced in our disclosure language that “seeks to entice users
…. To drive the expansion of Delegators” is clarified to mean the Platform’s unique functionalities as a cryptocurrency
tracking tool.
1
In
an effort to avoid any further confusion in future filings, we will remove the following language from page 4 of our 2023 Form-10K: “One
underlying strategic objective of the platform is to drive the expansion of Delegators to our validator nodes.”, we will further
revise the following language on page 10 of our 2023 Form-10K: “We believe that leveraging StakeSeeker’s capabilities
to provide insights and guidance will foster trust and confidence. among potential Delegators.
As
further elaborated below, the platform does not utilize additional specialized features aimed to collect data on or engage with investors.
1. Definition
and Purpose of StakeSeeker as a Crypto Educational Website: StakeSeeker is designed primarily
as a platform to provide information and education on blockchain technology and cryptocurrency
investments. The platform’s features, including strategic enticements and expansion
objectives mentioned on page 4 of the 2023 Form 10-K, are focused on enhancing user engagement
and education and increasing registered users. These features aim to facilitate user understanding
and familiarity with blockchain ecosystems, rather than making investment recommendations.
2. Absence
of Investment Advice: Consistent with our response to previous comment 17, StakeSeeker
does not provide personalized investment advice, recommend investment products, or advocate
for particular investment strategies. The platform does not employ behavioral prompts, differential
marketing, game-like features, or other engagement mechanisms that are tailored to influence
investment decisions. Our platform provides educational resources on blockchain networks
and staking, which users can choose to leverage at their discretion. It’s crucial to
highlight that users accessing our platform must already possess crypto assets in order for
the platform’s monitoring capabilities and educational resources to be meaningful.
This distinction is critical as it underlines that while the platform engages users and encourages
exploration within the site, it does not steer them towards investments or trading behaviors.
3. Clarification
on Strategic Objectives and Features: The strategic objective of driving the expansion
of Delegators to validator nodes, as referenced in the disclosure, is a broad business goal
related to growth in user base and market presence. This does not translate into financial
advice or encouragement for users to alter their investment portfolios. Instead, it relates
to increasing awareness and understanding of how blockchain networks operate, including the
roles and functions of nodes and delegators within these networks, as well as sharing publicly
available information on various blockchains that our infrastructure supports.
4. Compliance
with Regulatory Standards: We believe StakeSeeker operates within the boundaries set
forth by regulatory authorities for financial education platforms. Unlike registered investment
advisors, who are subject to specific fiduciary duties and regulations regarding the provision
of investment advice, StakeSeeker maintains its role as an educational resource without crossing
into the advisory domain. This ensures that while the platform seeks to enhance user engagement
and platform utility, it remains clear of activities that would require registration and
regulation as an investment advisor.
5. Future
Filings and Clarifications: In future filings, we will clarify these distinctions more
explicitly to avoid any perceived inconsistencies. We will outline the educational nature
of the platform, detail the specific features that promote user education without suggesting
investment actions, and reaffirm our commitment to compliance with regulatory guidelines
regarding financial education versus investment advice.
2
2. Refer
to your response to our prior comment 1 and prior comment 11 of our September 21, 2023 letter.
Please advise regarding the nature of your staking services, including a description of the
specifics of how an investor delegates its crypto assets. In this regard, we note your disclosure
on page 4 that “StakeSeeker does not provide or facilitate direct, crypto asset delegation
or transaction execution on [y]our platform” and that you anticipate “taking
the StaaS Platform out of beta prior to the end of 2024.” We also note that your website
seems to allow investors to delegate crypto assets from the StakeSeeker platform. Please
advise as this appears to be inconsistent with your disclosure. Also, we note your disclosure
on page 16 that “[c]rypto asset holders are able to delegate to [y]our validator nodes
without signing up for our StakeSeeker platform” but that, in the instructions on how
to delegate crypto assets on your website, you indicate that investors should register on
StakeSeeker. Please advise as this appears to be inconsistent with your disclosure, and to
the extent that disclosure should be revised to reconcile these inconsistencies, please do
so in future filings.
Response:
Below
we outline responses to the Staff’s comments on 1) the process of non-custodial staking, 2) information included on our website,
and 3) information included in our staking instructions. We believe the information we have provided in response to the Staff’s
comment supports the accuracy and consistency of the disclosures we have made in our Form 10-Ks and in other public materials.
Non-custodial
Staking Process
The
following outline details the typical process involved in non-custodial staking, highlighting
key steps and considerations. Each blockchain and digital wallet may have its nuances, so
crypto asset holders are encouraged to familiarize themselves with specific guidelines and
rules pertinent to their a specific blockchains, wallets and assets.
1. Crypto
Asset Custody: Investors must hold their crypto assets in digital wallets that support
staking. These assets cannot be held on crypto exchanges as staking requires self-custody
through compatible digital wallets. BTCS does not offer or sell crypto assets or recommend
to users of the Stakeseeker platform any crypto assets.
2. Wallet
Access: Owners access their digital wallets using their private keys or mnemonic phrases,
which are critical for maintaining the security and access to their assets. BTCS never takes
possession or control of StakeSeeker’s user’s private keys or mnemonics, nor
do we offer a wallet. We provide educational information on the site regarding some wallets
that are compatible with certain blockchains but do not endorse any specific wallet.
3. Navigating
Staking Features: Investors can navigate to the staking options available within their
digital wallet interface. This allows users to engage with the staking functionalities that
the wallet supports. BTCS has no control over the features or functionality of 3rd
party wallets that users may utilize, and as noted above, we do not endorse any specific
wallet.
3
4. Selecting
a Validator Node: From the 3rd party wallet staking interface, users can browse
or search through a list of active validators. BTCS validator nodes are public and users
can select our node or any other node.
5. Setting
the Stake Amount: Once a validator is selected in their 3rd party wallet,
the user can specify the amount of native tokens they wish to stake to a particular node,
which may or may not be a BTCS validator. BTCS has no control or visibility into the users
actions as they do not occur on our platform. Our platform aggregates publicly available
information in a convenient manner to provide users with educational resources about the
staking process. This information and educational resources do not provide any investment
advice. Additionally, any actions made by users may be made independent of our platform.
6. Confirming
the Delegation: To finalize the delegation, the user must confirm and sign the transaction.
This action securely delegates the specified amount of tokens to the chosen validator node,
which may or may not be a BTCS validator node.
7. Validator
Node Interaction: After the stake is confirmed, the validator node facilitates the bonding
of these tokens to the blockchain network. This bonded stake allows the holder to participate
in the network’s consensus mechanism, potentially earning rewards in the form of native
tokens. BTCS never has access to the user’s tokens at any time during the process including
any rewards that may be earned.
8. Custody
During Staking: Throughout the staking period, the custody of the crypto assets remains
with the delegator in their digital wallet. The assets are effectively ‘locked’
in the staking process but not transferred out of the wallet. While staked, these assets
cannot be used for other purposes like trading or borrowing. Again, BTCS never has access
to th