U.S. House hearing reignites crypto regulation push, hopes for clarity ‘this year’

U.S. legislators are pushing for clearer regulations on crypto, in an effort to keep the $2.7 trillion crypto industry in the U.S.

U.S. Congress is seeing another major push for regulatory clarity on crypto. On April 9, the House financial services committee’s subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Artificial Intelligence held a hearing on crypto regulation. The goal of the hearing was to find ways to align U.S. securities laws with the realities of the digital age, especially with regard to crypto assets.

In his remark to the committee, House Financial Services Committee Chairman French Hill commended the committee’s “bipartisan efforts to bring clarity and stability” to crypto assets. He also stated that he hoped that there would be meaningful legislation by the end of 2025.

“It is incumbent on us to build on that momentum and continue working toward a comprehensive regulatory framework that establishes clear rules of the road for digital asset markets… I look forward to hearing from our whitnesses today, and working with coleagues to get this across the finishline this year,” Rep. French Hill

The committee believes in the role of the SEC

Despite offering criticism to the SEC, especially under Gary Gensler, committee members highlighted the SEC’s role in regulation. Subcommittee chairman Bryan Steil stated that the SEC would have a role in regulating token offerings.

“At the same time, the Committee feels strongly that there is a role for the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to play in the digital asset ecosystem. For example, the Committee believes that issuers raising capital through the sale of new digital assets should fall under the jurisdiction of the SEC,” Rep. Bryan Steil

This would likely not include memecoins, as the SEC, already under Gensler, ruled that memecoins were not securities. The rationale was that memecoins had no utility and are more akin to collectibles. 

The committee did face opposition, especially when Rep. Maxine Waters took the floor. She accused the members of the committee of favoritism toward Donald Trump’s crypto ventures, enabling him to become “crypto king.”

The hearing is a part of the latest regulatory push to give clarity to crypto assets in the U.S. For instance, on May 22, the U.S. House passed the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act with bipartisan support.