Nasdaq Slams TON Strategy for Toncoin Deal Violations - Regulatory Crackdown Intensifies

Wall Street's watchdog flexes its muscles as Nasdaq delivers a formal reprimand to TON Strategy over clear rule breaches in their Toncoin dealings.

Regulatory Reckoning

The exchange giant didn't hold back - citing multiple compliance failures that would make even the most seasoned crypto cowboy blush. TON Strategy's approach to the Toncoin deal apparently bypassed so many rules it might as well have been playing a different game entirely.

Compliance Carnage

Nasdaq's move signals growing impatience with crypto projects treating established financial regulations like optional suggestions. The reprimand puts the entire industry on notice: play by the rules or face the consequences. Because nothing says 'mature asset class' like getting scolded by your exchange platform.

Another day, another crypto firm learning that 'decentralized' doesn't mean 'above the law' - though someone should probably tell the rest of them too.

In brief

• TON Strategy failed to obtain shareholder approval before a major stock issuance for its $272.7M Toncoin deal.
• Nasdaq ruled the company violated listing rules but found no intent to deceive or mislead investors.
• Nearly half of the PIPE financing proceeds were used to acquire Toncoin, surpassing compliance thresholds.
• The firm underwent restructuring and leadership changes as Nasdaq confirmed no further punitive action.

TON Strategy’s Toncoin Deal Draws Scrutiny Over Stock Issuance Breach

TON Strategy, which accumulates Toncoin linked to the Telegram blockchain, received the reprimand after Nasdaq determined that the company breached requirements concerning stock issuance. Under Nasdaq rules, companies must seek shareholder approval when issuing shares that represent at least 20% of their total outstanding stock.

In an 8-K filing submitted Wednesday, Nasdaq stated that TON Strategy did not meet this requirement while executing a private investment in public equity (PIPE) deal to acquire Toncoin. The exchange described the breach as a rule violation but noted that the actions were not deliberate.

Nasdaq Finds No Intentional Misconduct but Flags Governance Failures

On August 4, Verb Technology announced a $558 million PIPE financing to FORM a publicly listed TON Treasury Strategy Company in partnership with Kingsway Capital. The financing closed three days later, following the issuance of common stock and pre-funded warrants under an August 3 subscription agreement. 

Approximately 48.78% of the PIPE proceeds were allocated to the Toncoin acquisition—a threshold that triggered the requirement for shareholder consent.

Key details from the filing include:

• TON Strategy allocated nearly half of its PIPE funds to Toncoin purchases.
• Nasdaq determined that the scale of issuance exceeded compliance thresholds.
• The company completed major restructuring during the transaction’s closing period.
• Former TON Foundation president Manuel Stotz was appointed executive chairman.
• Nasdaq found the violations to be unintentional, ruling out delisting as a penalty.

In its letter, Nasdaq confirmed that no further action WOULD be taken, concluding that the compliance lapses did not stem from intent to bypass regulatory obligations.

The reprimand arrives weeks after CEO Veronika Kapustina cautioned that digital asset treasury firms, several of which launched earlier this year, were beginning to show signs of overheating in the market early last month.

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