Ethereum is not a security, at least in the view of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) director of corporate finance William Hinman.

Speaking at the Yahoo! All Markets Summit: Crypto event in San Francisco Thursday, the official told the audience that the agency "doesn't see a lot of value in treating ether today as a security," explaining that the fact that there is no central figure or group responsible for ethereum, and therefore "the assets may not represent an investment contract."

The statements are the latest in a long line of remarks that have found various regulatory officials opining on whether the nature of the sale in which ether was issued made it subject to U.S. securities laws. Such a view has been advanced largely by former regulators, while the SEC has largely spoken generally (and derogatorily) about its treatment of ICOs and token sales.