The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has introduced a proposal to regulate digital asset markets and transactions. Under the new framework, domestic cryptocurrency exchanges would be permitted to opt into a federal regulatory regime. If finalized, these rules would enable platforms that offer leveraged trading to register directly with the agency.
The initiative follows a directive from President Donald Trump to establish a federal regulatory structure for crypto assets using the existing statutory authority of the CFTC. This action proceeds despite the legislative stalling of the Clarity Act, which aimed to formally distinguish between securities, commodities, and stablecoins.
The CFTC’s preliminary notice is currently open for public comment for a period of 60 days following its publication in the Federal Register. After this period, the agency will evaluate the feedback to determine whether to issue a formal proposed rule, which would then undergo an additional public review process before final adoption.
The move aligns with broader regulatory shifts, including the SEC’s recent approval of tokenized stock trading in September and its own proposed framework for crypto asset offerings introduced in August. CFTC Chairman Mike Selig noted that the agency is preparing for the transition of financial markets toward 24-7, on-chain operations.
