Quick Breakdown
- SEC and CFTC leaders will hold a joint event to align crypto oversight and reduce regulatory fragmentation.
- Lawmakers remain divided over a bill to define the structure of the crypto market and clarify agency jurisdiction.
- Industry groups are closely watching Congress after delays and pushback over recent draft proposals.
US financial regulators are taking fresh steps toward coordinating crypto oversight, as lawmakers continue to debate how digital assets should be regulated at the federal level.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission said Thursday that SEC Chair Paul Atkins and newly appointed CFTC Chair Michael Selig will host a joint event on Tuesday focused on regulatory “harmonization” between the two agencies.
I’m looking forward to joining @ChairmanSelig next week at our @SECgov and @CFTC joint event to discuss harmonization between our two agencies.
Together we will discuss our efforts to deliver on President Trump’s promise to make the US the crypto capital of the world.
Join us! https://t.co/qgJwmiHYus
— Paul Atkins (@SECPaulSAtkins) January 22, 2026
In a joint statement, the chairs said fragmented oversight has long created uncertainty for market participants, and outdated jurisdictional lines have complicated compliance for crypto firms. The upcoming discussion, they said, is aimed at creating a more coherent regulatory approach that supports innovation while protecting investors, in line with President Donald Trump’s broader crypto policy agenda.
“This event will build on our broader harmonization efforts to ensure that innovation takes root on American soil, under American law,”
the regulators said.
Senate delays keep crypto market structure in limbo
The joint SEC–CFTC move comes as the crypto industry waits on Congress to define how digital assets will ultimately be regulated.
Lawmakers in the Senate Banking and Senate Agriculture Committees are working on separate versions of a crypto market structure bill, widely referred to by industry players as the CLARITY Act. The legislation is expected to divide oversight responsibilities between the SEC and the CFTC clearly.
Progress, however, has been slow. A recent draft from the Senate Banking Committee sparked backlash after proposing tighter limits on stablecoin yields and new restrictions affecting decentralized finance. The proposal prompted Coinbase, a crypto exchange, to withdraw its support, delaying the committee’s planned markup.
Meanwhile, Senate Agriculture Committee Republicans released their own draft this week ahead of a scheduled markup next Tuesday, but the proposal currently lacks Democratic backing.
Both committees must still revise, approve, and reconcile their versions of the bill before it can advance to a full Senate vote, leaving regulatory clarity for the crypto sector uncertain for now.
If you would like to read more articles like this, visit DeFi Planet and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and CoinMarketCap Community.
Take control of your crypto portfolio with MARKETS PRO, DeFi Planet’s suite of analytics tools.”
