The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced as part of its annual agenda proposed rule changes that its chairman says will “help clarify the regulatory framework for crypto assets and provide greater certainty to the market.”
SEC Chairman Paul Atkins said in Tuesday’s notice he said that the agency’s 2026 agenda was intended to be consistent with the Trump administration’s policy goals for cryptocurrencies, which included clarifications on tokenized securities and raising capital through digital assets. The agenda included three proposed rule changes relating to cryptocurrency broker-dealers, digital assets on alternative trading venues and national securities exchanges, and potential exceptions and safe and sound harbors for digital assets.
“The proposed rules can provide greater certainty to the market, facilitate capital formation and accommodate innovation in crypto asset markets, while ensuring investors have adequate protection and access to the information they need to make informed investment decisions.” he said SEC on one of its proposed rules “relating to the offer and sale of cryptographic assets.”
The proposed rules come as the U.S. Congress is debating provisions of the Cryptocurrency Market Structure Act, which would shift most of the industry’s oversight and enforcement from the SEC to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. In March, Atkins said the SEC would continue to work on the agency’s “bridge” to clarify cryptocurrency regulations, but signaled he would delay the regulations if passed by Congress.
Related: Warren says the SEC’s Atkins likely misled Congress about enforcement data
The SEC’s approach to cryptocurrencies under US President Donald Trump and Atkins has many critics accusing administering the “pay-to-play program”. Democratic lawmakers wrote in a January letter that Trump and those associated with him benefited financially from companies that were previously the subject of enforcement actions or potential regulatory complexities, including Binance, Coinbase, Ripple Labs and Kraken, which were later decommissioned.
“The SEC’s decision to let securities law violators go without consequence, along with Chairman Atkins’ recent statements that ‘most crypto tokens are not securities,’ despite federal district court rulings that at least some tokens are securities, has left a vacuum in which securities law violations by crypto companies are not enforced and American investors are not protected,” three Democratic House members said in a statement. January letter to Atkins.
Trump Claims He Promoted Cryptocurrencies Partially ‘For Politics’
Responding to reporters’ questions Monday, Trump said he was “engaged in.” [crypto] bit for politics” after calling Bitcoin (BTC) a “fraud” after his first term. He initially said he was “not a fan” of cryptocurrencies, but in the run-up to the 2024 election he began talking to industry leaders and promoting the technology in public appearances.
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