The SEC just put three new crypto-specific rulemaking initiatives on its 2026 Regulatory Agenda, released on July 7. It’s the clearest signal yet that the agency is done playing defense and is now actively building a framework for digital assets to exist within traditional securities law.
The three items target the areas that have caused the most headaches for crypto companies trying to operate in the US: how tokens can be offered to raise capital, how broker-dealers should handle crypto on their books, and how trading venues like alternative trading systems and national securities exchanges should structure digital asset markets.
What’s actually in the agenda
The first initiative (RIN 3235-AN38) addresses crypto asset offerings, essentially creating a pathway for projects to raise money through token sales without wondering if they’ll get an enforcement action six months later. The second (RIN 3235-AN48) proposes amendments to financial responsibility and reporting rules for broker-dealers that custody or trade crypto assets. The third (RIN 3235-AN49) targets market structure, specifically how alternative trading systems and national securities exchanges should handle digital asset trading.
