SEC moves to ease crypto rules, opening new path for token sales

Aug. 19, 2026, 5:15 p.m. ET

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Tuesday proposed a new regulatory framework for crypto assets, the first major step under U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to give the industry the tailored rules it has long pushed for.

The SEC's proposal would exempt certain crypto companies and offerings from U.S. securities rules, which should make it easier for crypto companies to issue tokens and raise money.

The agency "seeks to provide crypto asset entrepreneurs and market participants with clear pathways to raise capital under the federal securities laws," Paul Atkins, the SEC's Trump-appointed chair, said in a statement.

Trump, who courted crypto cash on the campaign trail and whose family has profited from its own crypto endeavors, has prioritized reform for the sector in his second administration.

Under his Republican leaders, the SEC ended a crackdown on the crypto industry, moving swiftly last year to rescind stringent crypto accounting guidance and dismiss lawsuits against Coinbase, Binance and others that the agency had alleged were flouting its rules.

Crypto companies have long argued that crypto tokens more closely resemble commodities than securities, and should, for the most part, not be subject to the SEC's rules. Atkins has backed that position.