By Hannah Lang
-The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday unveiled its rulemaking agenda for the upcoming months, which could see broad proposals to revamp cryptocurrency regulations and reduce rules that Wall Street has decried as being overly burdensome.
The SEC in its rulemaking agenda formally outlined several of its initiatives to overhaul cryptocurrency policies, which Atkins had previewed in July. Those include proposing rules about the offer and sale of digital assets, which the SEC said
could potentially include certain exemptions and safe harbors. The SEC also said it would consider amending its rules to allow for crypto be traded on national securities exchanges and alternative trading systems.
If enacted, those policies would represent a major win for the digital asset industry, which has long pushed for tailored rules that would enable crypto to become more enmeshed with traditional finance.
On the campaign trail last year, Trump courted crypto cash by pledging to be a "crypto president" and promote the adoption of digital assets.
That is in stark contrast to former Democratic President Joe Biden's regulators, who, in a bid to protect Americans from fraud and money laundering, cracked down on the industry. The Biden administration's SEC sued exchanges Coinbase, Binance, and dozens more, alleging they were flouting U.S. laws. Trump's SEC has since dropped those cases.
The SEC also plans to propose a plan for "rationalization" of disclosures. The agency's core work includes laying out disclosure requirements meant to increase transparency and reduce risk for investors.
(Reporting by Hannah Lang in New York)
