The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have issued a joint staff statement regarding trading of certain spot crypto asset products.
In the statement, the SEC’s Division of Trading and Markets and the CFTC’s Division of Market Oversight and Division of Clearing and Risk clarified that the current law does not prohibit SEC-registered national securities exchanges or CFTC-registered exchanges from facilitating trading in these spot crypto commodity products. The initiative supports the SEC’s Project Crypto and the CFTC’s Crypto Sprint, both of which aim to optimise the regulatory landscape in the digital asset sector.
Additionally, it was reportedly facilitated by the President’s Working Group, helping the two agencies promote trading venue options for digital assets and encourage innovation in the crypto market within the US regulatory framework.
Guidance for listing digital assets
As part of the initiative, the SEC and CFTC divisions plan to issue guidance on the listing of leveraged, margined, or financed spot retail commodity transactions involving digital assets. Both agencies will work together to provide regulatory clarity while minimising jurisdictional overlap. The statement also noted that current law permits SEC- or CFTC-registered exchanges to facilitate trading of certain spot crypto asset products and encourages market participants to interact directly with staff through filings, registrations, or requests for relief.
This collaborative effort aims to increase transparency, offer more precise guidance to market participants, and strengthen regulatory initiatives as the digital asset sector continues to grow. Consequently, major US exchanges might have the chance to list a wider variety of digital asset products. Exchanges and platforms interested in providing spot crypto products should engage early with regulators.
SEC established a task force in January 2025 to develop a crypto regulatory framework, aiming for a more secure marketplace. The task force combined expertise from across the SEC and engaged with both Commission staff and the public to address regulatory uncertainty surrounding crypto assets.
