Former SEC Attorney Urges Narrower Test for Crypto Securities, Proposes 'Digital Value' Category
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SEC leaders at ETHDenver call for clearer rules for tokenized securities
Senior SEC officials told ETHDenver attendees they support clearer, staged frameworks for tokenized securities — including pilots and targeted rulemaking — and warned that market volatility and CFTC staffing gaps could slow any legislative jurisdictional shifts. Industry participants pushed for harmonized, checklist-style tests and for operational standards so tokenized products can interoperate with existing custody, clearing and disclosure regimes.

Wall Street Banks Urge SEC to Apply Traditional Rules to Blockchain-Based Securities
Senior figures from major financial firms told the SEC that moving securities onto distributed ledgers changes operational mechanics but not the underlying legal character, urging that tokenized instruments be governed by existing securities law rather than broad blanket exemptions. The conversation was situated amid wider policy debates over graded token classifications, interagency coordination and pending congressional language, underscoring industry preference for formal rulemaking over ad‑hoc relief.

Federal Reserve Proposes Treating Crypto as Its Own Risk Class for Derivatives Margins
A Federal Reserve staff paper recommends creating a separate asset-class treatment for cryptocurrencies when calculating initial margin on uncleared derivatives, arguing their price behavior differs substantially from traditional categories. The proposal arrives amid broader Fed work on crypto access and market structure, underscoring the need for interagency and market‑infrastructure alignment to make bespoke margining effective.

SEC Issues Structured Guidance on Tokenized Securities, Tilting Infrastructure Toward Brokered Custody
The SEC published a concise framework separating tokenized securities into issuer-originated and third-party-originated classes and reiterated that existing securities laws fully apply to on‑chain representations. The guidance accepts blockchain as a permissible recordkeeping tool while signaling a preference for brokered custody and urging solutions that address counterparty, bankruptcy and market‑structure risks.

SEC and CFTC Leaders Present Unified Front to Reduce Crypto Regulatory Friction
The chairs of the SEC and CFTC staged a public joint session to signal coordinated oversight and a push for consistent definitions and procedures while Congress wrestles with market‑structure legislation. The alignment eases short‑term compliance uncertainty, but stalled markups, industry withdrawals and continuing enforcement actions mean durable clarity depends on statute drafting, confirmations and subsequent rulemaking.
Two GCs Decode How New U.S. Legislation Could Reshape Crypto’s Legal Bedrock
Senior in‑house counsel on a legal podcast parsed a Senate draft that would give statutory categories for digital assets, arguing clearer labels would shift token design, custody and disclosure regimes while encouraging institutional entry. They warned legislative friction, interagency debate and alternative proposals — from SEC comments to international models like MiCA — mean timing and drafting will determine whether clarity spurs on‑shore growth or drives activity abroad.
Bessent Rebukes Crypto Opponents as Senate Hustles Toward a Digital-Assets Market Structure Law
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent used testimony before the Senate Banking Committee to urge quick passage of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, warning that U.S. leadership in digital finance is at stake. His remarks came amid a stalled markup after key industry backers withdrew support, a White House convening to seek compromises, and technical committee fights over CFTC staffing, stablecoin yield restrictions and DeFi carve-outs.

U.S. Pushes to Lead Crypto Markets While Developer Liability Casts a Long Shadow
The administration is promoting a pro‑crypto agenda—highlighting stablecoin legislation and coordinated SEC–CFTC work—to assert U.S. leadership in digital assets. But persistent prosecutions of protocol authors, intercommittee objections to developer exemptions and a pulled markup on key bills have created a gap between policy intent and enforcement reality that may push builders and capital abroad.