SEC's Spring 2025 Agenda: Crypto Regulation Overhaul?
Key Takeaways
Following discussions by the SEC Crypto Task Force, the regulator appears poised to adopt proposals and issue clearer guidance for the crypto sector. The question remains: will this regulatory clarity drive wider adoption?
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has outlined its near-term objectives for the crypto industry, focusing on enhanced regulatory clarity and streamlined operations for market participants.
SEC Chair Paul Atkins suggests this marks a turning point for the agency.
"Today, we released the Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. This agenda reflects a new approach at the SEC."
Source: X
The Spring 2025 Unified Agenda includes several proposals related to crypto asset trading and aims for greater regulatory certainty.
Atkins emphasized that establishing clear crypto regulations is currently a "key priority."
"A key priority of my Chairmanship is clear rules of the road for the issuance, custody, and trading of crypto assets while continuing to discourage bad actors from violating the law."
Impact on Wall Street
Recent deregulation initiatives target restrictive guidance from the previous administration. These actions could potentially allow crypto trading on national securities exchanges and alternative trading platforms.
A recent joint guidance with the CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission) has paved the way for traditional exchanges to support spot crypto assets.
Experts suggest this could lead to crypto going mainstream as exchanges like Nasdaq, NYSE, and brokerage platforms consider supporting spot trading for Bitcoin [BTC], Ethereum [ETH], and other assets.
The agency also intends to revise the Consolidated Audit Trail to ease compliance burdens related to data reporting for market participants.
These updates follow public discussions between the SEC’s Crypto Task Force and industry stakeholders. The task force remains open to additional public input before finalizing proposals and rules.
For example, market maker Wintermute has urged the SEC to clarify its jurisdiction and classify network tokens as non-securities.
Source: X
These developments align with a broader pro-crypto stance under President Donald Trump’s administration. Since early 2025, the administration has reversed previous crypto enforcement actions against Binance, Ripple Labs, and others.
CFTC’s Acting Chair Caroline D. Pham aims for the U.S. to lead in establishing cross-border crypto regulations.
"The U.S. must return to being a rule maker, not a rule taker. We must be leaders in establishing a cross-border regulatory framework for crypto and Web3 that ensures deep liquidity and efficient markets."