In a significant and coordinated policy shift, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have jointly approved registered exchanges to trade spot crypto assets. This marks a powerful reversal from the previous administration’s cautious stance and signals a new, pro-innovation era for digital assets in the US.
Under the direction of pro-crypto regulators appointed by President Donald Trump, the SEC’s “Project Crypto” and the CFTC’s “crypto sprint” are actively working to establish the US as a global crypto leader. The agencies confirmed that existing, regulated exchanges—including CFTC-registered designated contract markets (DCMs) and SEC-registered national securities exchanges (NSEs)—are now permitted to facilitate spot crypto trading. They are actively encouraging these financial institutions to engage with them to move forward.
SEC Chairman Paul Atkins stated that “market participants should have the freedom to choose where they trade spot crypto assets,” while CFTC Acting Chairman Caroline Pham called the joint statement a demonstration of their “mutual objective of supporting growth.”
While the statement didn’t specify which cryptocurrencies are included, the message is clear: regulators are using their existing authority to open the financial system to crypto now, even as Congress works on broader legislation. This move effectively builds a regulatory bridge for the industry, addressing the long-standing gap in spot market oversight and signaling that the time for building is now.
September 2025, Cryptoniteuae
