The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has launched its 2026 regulatory agenda.
The program aims to facilitate compliance rules for cryptocurrency companies and provide regulatory guarantees for transactions on the blockchain, and includes 38 proposed rules, with key initiatives focusing on tokenization standards, modernizing on-chain asset custody, and reducing compliance costs for public companies.
SEC unveils 2026 cryptocurrency plan
The organizer is Looking A change to its rules would expand the definition of “qualified custodian” to give companies managing token assets a clearer set of rules. It also includes a safe harbor framework for early-stage cryptocurrency projects that would give developers a specified period to build and test distinct products under lighter compliance obligations.
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is reviewing broker-dealer financial responsibility and recordkeeping requirements for digital assets, making changes that will impact how cryptocurrencies protect their customers, replacing traditional securities standards with more cryptocurrency-friendly ones.
The agency is also proposing amendments to the cryptocurrency market structure to revise the rules governing cryptocurrency trading on alternative trading systems.
The agenda also proposes cutting costs for companies looking to go public by updating disclosure forms and modifying simplified registration eligibility, which the SEC believes could spur more domestic IPOs.
Atkins supports US cryptocurrency payments
Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins said the regulator had done so to make Much progress has been made more than a year into his term, with it noted that he aims to support President Trump’s goal of making America the cryptocurrency capital of the world.
“We are embracing innovation to bring more products on-chain, setting clear rules of the way for raising capital with crypto assets, and providing clarity on how market participants hold and facilitate cross-chain trading of token securities,” he wrote.
Atkins also stressed that investor protections will remain effective as the agency continues to pursue securities law violations, but said the main goal is to give companies confidence to innovate in the U.S. market.
The proposals have not yet been approved and will now go through a public comment phase this month, with final rules expected to be considered later this year.
Meanwhile, the Clarity Act missed its July 4 signature target after being passed by the House in 2025 Clearing Senate in May, and the bill now awaits a full vote in the Senate, with lawmakers having limited time before the August recess to finish work on the cryptocurrency market structure bill.
this post The SEC’s 2026 docket has 38 items, but cryptocurrencies and IPOs are the headlines. appeared first on CryptoPotato.
