SEC, CFTC in talks to renew crypto regulation through joint panel: report
U.S. regulators are reportedly exploring new ways to coordinate on crypto oversight, with discussions to reinstate an advisory committee.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission are said to be trying to figure out how to work together on crypto regulation. In a Feb. 13 post on X, Fox News journalist Eleanor Terrett wrote, citing sources close to the matter, that the two agencies may be considering reviving a joint advisory committee that has been inactive for over a decade.
The CFTC-SEC Advisory Committee on Emerging Regulatory Issues was set up in 2010 to help the two agencies stay on the same page. It came out of a 2009 report that aimed to improve coordination after the 2008 financial crisis showed gaps in regulatory oversight.
The committee was meant to spot risks, assess their impact, and make sure both agencies were aligned. But it stopped in 2014 due to leadership changes and a shift in priorities and hasn’t been brought back since.
Terrett pointed out that CFTC Acting Chair Caroline Pham called for bringing it back in 2024, saying the joint panel would be a “strong signal of a new U.S. regulatory approach that is collaborative and cooperative.” Neither the SEC nor the CFTC has made any public comments on the matter since the news broke.
The talks about the joint committee resurface as President Donald Trump‘s newly appointed AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks has outlined plans to work with Congress on market structure legislation, signaling a push for clearer crypto regulations.
Crypto expectations under Trump have leaned toward clear rules. The official schedule of the presidential working group on digital asset markets also signals intentions to fast-track crypto regulation. The calendar requires the U.S. Treasury, the Department of Justice, the SEC, and other relevant agencies to identify all laws relevant to cryptocurrencies and digital assets by the end of February.
Earlier in February, SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce defended her approach to cryptocurrency regulation, prioritizing an innovation-friendly approach, rather than restrictive oversight. She also clarified that she isn’t “an advocate of the industry,” but more of a “freedom maximalist,” pushing back against claims that she’s too supportive of crypto.
