SEC Tucks Three Crypto Rule Changes Into 2026 Agenda, CLARITY Act Still Left on Read 📜

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has placed three proposed crypto rule changes on its 2026 regulatory agenda, the Agency Rule List shows, covering the offer and sale of digital assets, broker-dealer financial responsibilities tied to crypto, and amendments to Exchange Act rules for crypto trading. SEC Chair Paul Atkins said the agenda is intended to align with the Trump administration's policy goals on crypto, including clarification on tokenized securities and capital raising with digital assets. The proposals come as Congress continues to debate a crypto market structure bill that is expected to shift much of the oversight and enforcement of the industry from the SEC to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Under the first proposed rule change, the agency is considering rules related to the offer and sale of crypto assets that could include certain exemptions and safe harbors. "The proposed rules may provide greater certainty to the market, facilitate capital formation, and accommodate innovation within the crypto asset markets while, at the same time, ensuring that investors are adequately protected and provided with the information they need to make informed investment decisions," the SEC said. Atkins said in March that the agency would move forward with a "bridge" to clarify crypto regulation but signaled that he would defer to legislation if it was passed by Congress.

The second proposal addresses crypto broker-dealers, and the third sets out potential amendments to Exchange Act rules covering digital assets on alternative trading systems and national securities exchanges. The Commission stated that the rules could help clarify the regulatory framework for crypto assets and provide greater certainty to the market.

The agenda arrived against a backdrop of criticism from Democratic lawmakers. In a January letter, three Democratic House members told Atkins that "the SEC's decision to let those who violated the securities laws go without consequences, together with recent statements by Chair Atkins that 'most crypto tokens are not securities,' despite holdings by federal district courts that at least some tokens are securities, has left a vacuum whereby securities violations by crypto firms are not enforced and US investors are not protected." The lawmakers have accused the administration of a "pay-to-play scheme," pointing to companies including Binance, Coinbase, Ripple Labs and Kraken that faced enforcement actions or potential regulatory entanglements later dropped.

Speaking to reporters on Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that he "got involved in [crypto] a little bit for politics," after calling Bitcoin ($BTC) a "scam" following his first term. The wait for the CLARITY Act continues, even as the SEC moves ahead with its own framework.