Gary Gensler says SEC’s X account was compromised, posted fake bitcoin ETF approval news

Fund issuers are not yet cleared to launch funds that would hold bitcoin directly, SEC chair says

article-image

Artwork by Crystal Le

share

Updated Tuesday, Jan. 9 at 4:39 pm ET: Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler posted on X claiming the SEC’s official X account had been compromised.

“The @SECGov twitter account was compromised, and an unauthorized tweet was posted. The SEC has not approved the listing and trading of spot bitcoin exchange-traded products,” Gensler’s account wrote.

The SEC’s account earlier said it approved spot bitcoin ETFs in an X post Tuesday. The post has now been removed.

But Gensler clarified that the SEC had “not approved” the listing or the trading of the bitcoin ETFs.

Loading Tweet..

The price of bitcoin spiked sharply on the SEC account post, rising as high as $47,870. Bitcoin is now trading around $46,100 on Coinbase, according to TradingView.

“The SEC’s @SECGov X/Twitter account has been compromised. The unauthorized tweet regarding bitcoin ETFs was not made by the SEC or its staff,” an SEC spokesperson told Blockworks.

CORRECTION: The initial version of this story incorrectly reported that the SEC had approved spot bitcoin ETFs. The story has been updated to reflect the SEC account compromise and agency comments.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

Tags

Upcoming Events

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Research

article-image

For just $54, you, too, could send a memecoin 500% higher

article-image

Memecoins, tech, and inflation have dominated the first half of the year

article-image

As the Trump administration continues to test Fed independence, markets are beginning to react

article-image

An Aave interest rate shock prompted over 475,000 validators to exit and pushed stETH into a prolonged depeg

article-image

While Roman Storm’s team is set to present its case, it’s not yet clear if the Tornado Cash founder will testify

article-image

A wireless network inspired by lost drones is now helping telco carriers reach your phone indoors