CFTC sends first crypto market rulemaking to the White House for review

Key Summary

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has submitted a prerule-stage filing to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) for a rulemaking aimed at setting up oversight for crypto asset trading using the agency's existing legal framework. The filing, titled "Regulation Crypto Asset Transactions and Regulation Crypto Asset Markets," was submitted on September 17, 2026, two days after the Senate failed to advance the CLARITY Act, a bill that would have widened the agency's authority over digital commodities. The proposal aims to clarify how crypto assets differ from other commodities and establish a framework for leveraged trading, but it does not address spot markets, where people buy and sell crypto outright for immediate delivery.