SEC could start writing crypto rules before the Senate votes on CLARITY
Three SEC crypto proposals are now penciled in for July, covering token offerings, broker-dealer custody and trading venues. The agency could start writing the rules before the Senate even decides whether to take up the CLARITY Act. Earlier this week, SEC Chair Paul Atkins said the agencys 2026 regulatory agenda aims to bring more crypto products onshore, create clearer rules for capital raising with crypto assets, and clarify how market participants can custody and facilitate the trading of tokenized securities on-chain. According to him: “[These efforts are to] ensure that the next chapter of financial leadership is written in the US, and that our capital markets continue to lead the world – in their depth, their dynamism, and their unrivaled ability to transform ingenuity into prosperity.” That posture has translated into three July NPRM targets covering crypto-asset offerings, broker-dealer rules, and crypto market-structure amendments. If any of those proposals is published this month, the SEC would move the crypto debate from policy signaling into a formal rulemaking process. That would come as US lawmakers have yet to decide whether to bring the highly anticipated CLARITY Act to the Senate floor. The bill is designed to establish a federal framework for the crypto industry and clarify how