Sunday, May 8th 2022

NVIDIA Pays $5.5 Million Fine After Failing To Disclose 2018 Crypto Revenue

The Securities and Exchange Commission today announced settled charges against technology company NVIDIA Corporation for inadequate disclosures concerning the impact of cryptomining on the company's gaming business. The SEC's order finds that, during consecutive quarters in NVIDIA's fiscal year 2018, the company failed to disclose that cryptomining was a significant element of its material revenue growth from the sale of its graphics processing units (GPUs) designed and marketed for gaming. Cryptomining is the process of obtaining crypto rewards in exchange for verifying crypto transactions on distributed ledgers. As demand for and interest in crypto rose in 2017, NVIDIA customers increasingly used its gaming GPUs for cryptomining.

In two of its Forms 10-Q for its fiscal year 2018, NVIDIA reported material growth in revenue within its gaming business. NVIDIA had information, however, that this increase in gaming sales was driven in significant part by cryptomining. Despite this, NVIDIA did not disclose in its Forms 10-Q, as it was required to do, these significant earnings and cash flow fluctuations related to a volatile business for investors to ascertain the likelihood that past performance was indicative of future performance. The SEC's order also finds that NVIDIA's omissions of material information about the growth of its gaming business were misleading given that NVIDIA did make statements about how other parts of the company's business were driven by demand for crypto, creating the impression that the company's gaming business was not significantly affected by cryptomining.
"NVIDIA's disclosure failures deprived investors of critical information to evaluate the company's business in a key market," said Kristina Littman, Chief of the SEC Enforcement Division's Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit. "All issuers, including those that pursue opportunities involving emerging technology, must ensure that their disclosures are timely, complete, and accurate."

The SEC's order finds that NVIDIA violated Section 17(a)(2) and (3) of the Securities Act of 1933 and the disclosure provisions of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The order also finds that NVIDIA failed to maintain adequate disclosure controls and procedures. Without admitting or denying the SEC's findings, NVIDIA agreed to a cease-and-desist order and to pay a $5.5 million penalty.

The SEC's investigation was conducted by Brent Wilner of the Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit, and supervised by Diana Tani and Ms. Littman of the Crypto Assets and Cyber Unit.
Source: SEC
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40 Comments on NVIDIA Pays $5.5 Million Fine After Failing To Disclose 2018 Crypto Revenue

#1
eidairaman1
The Exiled Airman
A loss is still a loss. I see their gpus containing the element unobtainium 100% Pure
Posted on Reply
#3
Rhurba
They made more than 100 million $ from crypto sales. Less than 5% fine is like nothing....less than a tip you give to a waiter at the restaurant. This fine is a stupid joke!
Posted on Reply
#4
eidairaman1
The Exiled Airman
DemonicRyzen666a fine of less than 1% of the company's value.
RhurbaThey made more than 100 million $ from crypto sales. Less than 5% fine is like nothing....less than a tip you give to a waiter at the restaurant. This fine is a stupid joke!
Not a joke, it's a warning, the Fines will get Steeper over time.
Posted on Reply
#5
Sihastru
It's actually less than 0.0012%, but... who cares. Once a company gets to a certain size, it makes more sense to pay a fine than to 100% adhere to certain rules and regulations.
Posted on Reply
#6
thesmokingman
DemonicRyzen666a fine of less than 1% of the company's value.
RhurbaThey made more than 100 million $ from crypto sales. Less than 5% fine is like nothing....less than a tip you give to a waiter at the restaurant. This fine is a stupid joke!
Yall don't know what the SEC do, do ya? All they do are wrist slaps. You want fines, look at shitadel, they pay tens of millions like every other year for the last two decades. Shitadel raked in 6.7 Billion in 2020 vs 700K in fines. Ya think they are gonna stop screwing the market over?
eidairaman1Not a joke, it's a warning, the Fines will get Steeper over time.
Nah, it is a joke. SEC are clowns.
Posted on Reply
#7
R-T-B
thesmokingmanshitadel
Clever pun or whatever but it leaves me with no idea what company you are actually talking about.
Posted on Reply
#8
DrCR
R-T-BClever pun or whatever but it leaves me with no idea what company you are actually talking about.
Literal lol. Glad I wasn’t the only one.
Posted on Reply
#9
plastiscɧ
nuja.
taxes were paid on the sales profit, hopefully.
and 5.5 million is actually not much. but it's a start. next time, just add 2 zeros and it will come across as meant.
basically, everyone can do what he thinks is right with his graphics card. that's why it will probably be a little low.

Posted on Reply
#10
ben dover
DrCRLiteral lol. Glad I wasn’t the only one.
Maybe he means: Citadel securities LLC "Citadel Securities has been fined 58 times for violating FINRA, REGSHO & SEC regulations. Several instances are documented as 'willful' naked shorting"

edit: never heard of them, but seems they delay orders from customers while making money on their investments, report incorrect on trades (to avoid taxes i guess), and hire people from the agencies that regulate them :-) , among other tricks.... they was also invoolved in the GameStop thing. A fine collection of not so honest individuals
Posted on Reply
#11
dj-electric
Shamefully small punishment for such thing. The game is truly rigged.
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#13
Broken Processor
Was that fine some form of humour? Nvidia probably will pay it from there pretty cash.
Posted on Reply
#14
Dragokar
Powered by the own mining farm :)
Posted on Reply
#15
aQi
Its okay they would never disclose and the fines will eventually be covered by manipulated prices paid by consumers (all)
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#16
Bubster
only 5 million !!! 50 Billion would have been more adequate considering their stock value jumped 4000% in the last 6 years.
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#18
ZoneDymo
That will teach them.....that...crime pays....and they should do it again for max profit...
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#19
Fluffmeister
It's like sanctioning a country whilst buying billions of their products.
Posted on Reply
#20
AusWolf
All the "crypto isn't responsible for the GPU shortage" people, where are you now? :slap:
Posted on Reply
#22
Unregistered
AusWolfAll the "crypto isn't responsible for the GPU shortage" people, where are you now? :slap:
Setting up their mining rigs
#23
DeathtoGnomes
AusWolfAll the "crypto isn't responsible for the GPU shortage" people, where are you now? :slap:
those same people blame crypto for the rise in GPU prices.

I dont see where it say which 2 quarters, or 1h or 2h. Someone even suggested that Nvidia was selling cards directly to miners in am older thread.
R-T-BClever pun or whatever but it leaves me with no idea what company you are actually talking about.
'Shit a Dell' is graffiti on a wall.
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#24
Vya Domus
A slap on the wrist is an overstatement.

I still remember arguing with people on here that refused to believe what they did was in fact misleading and potentially illegal.
Posted on Reply
#25
trsttte
RhurbaThey made more than 100 million $ from crypto sales. Less than 5% fine is like nothing....less than a tip you give to a waiter at the restaurant. This fine is a stupid joke!
plastiscɧnuja.
taxes were paid on the sales profit, hopefully.
and 5.5 million is actually not much. but it's a start. next time, just add 2 zeros and it will come across as meant.
basically, everyone can do what he thinks is right with his graphics card. that's why it will probably be a little low.

This is not about whatever ammount of money they made, it's about misleading investors regarding the way the company was growing: growth was backed by crypto sales (which have periodic booms and busts) instead of growing computer/datacenter market.
AusWolfAll the "crypto isn't responsible for the GPU shortage" people, where are you now? :slap:
In the same place they were before this settlement, this case pertains to 2018, you can say that again when Nvidia has to settle again for the same thing around 2025 or 2026 :D
Posted on Reply
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