SEC to Vote Friday on Crypto Fundraising Rules as Congress Stalls
The SEC has scheduled an August 14 open meeting to weigh a proposal easing securities registration for crypto companies raising capital, moving ahead of Congress while the CLARITY Act sits stalled until September.
BY MARISOL VEGA5 MIN READ
The SEC scheduled a vote on capital-raising rules for crypto companies while Congress's broader market-structure bill remained delayed.
A vote that doesn't wait for the Senate
The SEC has scheduled an open meeting for Friday, August 14, to consider a proposal that could make it easier for crypto companies to raise money without going through full securities registration. The vote lands three days after the Senate's CLARITY Act stalled again, with a 60-vote cloture test now pushed to September 15. CFTC Chairman Michael Selig has been blunt about the agency's posture in the meantime, saying the CFTC will write crypto market-structure rules regardless of what Congress does.
Agencies have already been moving without a statute
Friday's vote continues a pattern set earlier this year. On March 17, the SEC and CFTC jointly classified 16 assets — including Ethereum, Solana, and XRP — as digital commodities outside securities law, effectively front-running what the CLARITY Act would have done by statute. The CFTC separately approved the first cash-settled bitcoin perpetual futures contract on a regulated U.S. exchange in May, and launched a year-long "Crypto Sprint" outreach program aimed at building spot crypto trading rules through industry collaboration rather than waiting on legislation.
WHY IT MATTERS
Agency rules can move faster than Congress, but they're also easier to unwind — a future SEC or CFTC chair could reverse guidance that took years to build. The CLARITY Act would harden the current patchwork into statute; until it passes, crypto's rulebook is being written commission meeting by commission meeting.
What to watch next
1.The outcome of Friday's SEC vote and the specific terms of any adopted fundraising exemption.
2.Whether the CFTC announces further steps under its Crypto Sprint before the program's scheduled wrap in August.
3.Whether the September 15 CLARITY Act cloture vote succeeds, or whether agency rulemaking becomes the de facto framework by default.
Frequently asked questions
What is the SEC voting on August 14?
A proposal that could make it easier for crypto companies to raise capital without going through full securities registration, part of Chairman Paul Atkins' broader effort to modernize crypto rules under Project Crypto.
Does this vote replace the CLARITY Act?
No. It's agency rulemaking under existing authority, not statute. The CLARITY Act would set a permanent legal framework; SEC and CFTC rules can be revised or reversed by a future commission without an act of Congress.
Why is the CFTC also active right now?
CFTC Chairman Michael Selig has said the agency will write crypto market-structure rules regardless of what Congress does, continuing a 12-month "Crypto Sprint" that already produced the first listed spot crypto trading on CFTC-regulated exchanges.
SOURCES & DATA
Bitcoin.com News — SEC/CFTC forge their own paths as CLARITY stalls, August 2026 ↗
Norton Rose Fulbright — SEC/CFTC joint interpretation, March 2026 ↗
Education, not financial advice. See our editorial process and corrections policy.
Marisol Vega
Bitcoin Almanack's editorial byline for Bitcoin markets, spot ETF flows, institutional activity, regulation, and daily news.
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