The SEC's 2026 agenda includes three crypto rulemakings covering asset issuance, broker-dealer capital rules, and exchange trading. The CLARITY Act waits.
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The Securities and Exchange Commission has penciled in three crypto-specific rule changes for its 2026 regulatory agenda, a move that comes as the CLARITY Act remains stalled in the Senate.
The agency's latest Agency Rule List includes proposed amendments covering crypto asset offerings, broker-dealer rules for digital assets, and market structure changes that would let crypto trade on alternative trading systems and national exchanges. Each item is listed as a long-term action with no target date for a proposal.
Crypto asset rules. The SEC is considering exemptions and safe harbors for the offer and sale of crypto assets. The Commission has already floated an innovation exemption that would let firms issue and trade tokenized U.S. stocks. That guidance would likely fall under this bucket.
Broker-dealer rules. The Division of Trading and Markets is weighing amendments to Rules 15c3-1 and 15c3-3 – the net capital and customer protection rules – plus Rules 17a-3 and 17a-4 on recordkeeping. The SEC has previously outlined conditions under which some DeFi platforms could operate without registering as broker-dealers. The new rulemaking would tighten or replace that framework.
Market structure. The Commission is considering changes to the Exchange Act to address how crypto assets trade on ATSs and national securities exchanges. The SEC is also seeking comment on novel ETF structures, including prediction market ETFs.
SEC Chair Paul Atkins said the agency is creating clear rules for capital raising within the crypto space and providing clarity on tokenized securities, part of President Trump's goal to make the U.S. the world's crypto capital. Trump said at the official kickoff of the Trump accounts yesterday that he was a big fan of crypto and suggested Bitcoin could eventually be included in the accounts.
The CLARITY Act, which would give the CFTC primary oversight of digital asset spot markets and define when a token is a security versus a commodity, has not yet released its final text. Prediction market odds on passage have risen to 53%.
For more on tokenized stocks, see our guide to the best crypto brokers that support them.
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