SEC and CFTC Reach a Handshake: By 2026, US Cryptocurrency Regulation Will Embrace a "Dual-Track" New Pattern

[BlockBeats] The US cryptocurrency regulatory landscape is quietly changing.

Since entering the second year of the Trump administration, the two major regulatory agencies, SEC and CFTC, have shifted from past power struggles to substantive cooperation. Behind this transformation is a re-evaluation of the crypto market by both agencies.

On the SEC side, Chairman Paul Atkins is pushing forward several major initiatives: establishing a “token classification system,” promoting the Project Crypto initiative, and innovating exemption mechanisms. A more tangible result is the approval of multiple crypto ETFs for listing, and asset tokenization has become a core focus of regulation. In other words, the SEC is moving from “control” to “classification management.”

The actions of the CFTC are equally noteworthy. Since the appointment of new Chairman Michael Selig, the agency has accelerated rule clarification through the “Crypto Sprint.” In the future, this agency will play a more significant role in the regulation of cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and other crypto commodities.

Howard Fischer, a senior former SEC lawyer, made a keen observation: in his career, he has never seen these two agencies work together with such tacit understanding to advance crypto regulation. He bluntly stated that this collaborative approach could become the main theme of the entire regulatory agenda in 2026.

From another perspective, with the SEC responsible for innovative system design and the CFTC leading market expansion, this “dual-track” pattern indicates that the US attitude towards the crypto industry is indeed warming up.