Bitcoin News
By James Thorp
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Safe Harbor and Token Sales Take Center Stage. The first item on the agenda is about how crypto assets are offered and sold to U.S. investors.
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Broker-Dealer Rules and the DeFi Question. The second rulemaking item is where things get technically dense.
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Exchange Act Amendments and ATS Compliance. The third item targets crypto trading on alternative trading systems, or ATSs, and national…
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The SEC is moving. Three separate rulemaking items are now on the agency's 2026 agenda, covering how crypto assets get sold, what broker-dealers must do financially, and how the…
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The CLARITY Act, as of early July, still hasn't been signed. The SEC isn't waiting.
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For anyone who's been following crypto regulation for the past few years, that's kind of a big deal. The registration question has been murky for a long time.
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Chair Paul Atkins has been pretty direct about where he wants to take this. He's pushed the idea of innovation-friendly rules and clearer frameworks for crypto capital raising.
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The second rulemaking item is where things get technically dense. The SEC is looking at broker-dealer financial responsibility rules — specifically rules 15c3-1, 15c3-3, 17a-3,…
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What's at stake for crypto is pretty significant. DeFi platforms, interface providers, and aggregators have largely been operating without full broker-dealer registration.
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See also: SEC Crypto Safe Harbor Rule Puts Token Projects on Notice This July
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That ambiguity is probably the most nerve-wracking part for DeFi operators right now. Full broker-dealer registration isn't a light lift.
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And it's not just the platforms themselves. Aggregators and front-end interface providers — the layer that most retail users actually interact with — could get caught in the same…
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The SEC's proposed amendments aim to fix that. The core question is whether crypto ATSs need to follow the same registration frameworks as traditional securities venues — or…
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For exchanges and trading venues, the answer matters enormously. Traditional ATS registration is a detailed process tied to rules designed for equity markets.
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Read also: RBI Pushes Crypto Ban Again as Indias Tax Collectors Lose Millions Offshore
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