#ALEO The US 2026 Cryptocurrency Regulatory Landscape May Face a Turning Point as SEC and CFTC Deepen Collaboration

Odaily Planet Daily Report — As the Trump administration enters its second year, the US cryptocurrency regulatory landscape is undergoing significant changes. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is pushing a more aggressive crypto regulation agenda, while the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is playing an increasingly central role in crypto asset oversight. The previous "regulatory turf war" between the two agencies appears to be easing. According to reports, acting CFTC Chair has previously stated that the regulatory disagreements with the SEC have ended, and future cooperation will be strengthened. Over the past year, both agencies have jointly issued guidance on key areas such as spot crypto trading, 24/7 markets, perpetual contracts, and decentralized finance. Former SEC official and current partner at Moses & Singer, Howard Fischer, noted that this is the most cooperative phase he has seen between the two major regulators.
In specific actions, SEC Chair Paul Atkins introduced a "Token Classification System" and launched "Project Crypto," aiming to systematically update digital asset regulation rules, while promoting an "Innovation Exemption" mechanism to accelerate compliant crypto product deployment. The SEC has also approved certain crypto ETF listing standards and clarified that liquid staking and PoS staking activities do not constitute securities transactions. Additionally, tokenization has become a key focus for the SEC, with a recent "no-action letter" issued to custodial trust company DTC, seen by industry insiders as an important pilot signal for real-world asset tokenization.
Meanwhile, the CFTC is accelerating rule clarification through the "Crypto Sprint," allowing exchanges to list regulated-approved spot crypto products and withdrawing some restrictive guidelines. The new CFTC Chair, Michael Selig, is expected to push for a crypto regulatory framework led by the CFTC at the legislative level. Saga CEO Rebecca Liao stated that if the CFTC focuses on Bitcoin, which has been explicitly recognized as a commodity, it will have a significant positive impact on the entire crypto market.
The report also notes that both the SEC and CFTC currently face vacancies in their commissioner seats, but analysts believe this will not alter the overall trend toward collaborative and institutionalized crypto regulation in 2026. (The Block)