Senators Unveil Bipartisan Legislation for Cryptocurrencies; The SEC and CFTC would Share Regulatory Oversight

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Olieman Eth Via Unsplash
Olieman Eth Via Unsplash

Bitcoin, ether, and the over 19,000 other cryptocurrencies in existence today could soon be regulated. 

Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Cynthia Lummis unveiled bipartisan legislation for the cryptocurrency market on Tuesday, dubbed the Responsible Financial Innovation Act.

The framework would create “regulatory clarity for agencies charged with supervising digital asset markets, provide a strong, tailored regulatory framework for stablecoins, and integrate digital assets into our existing tax and banking laws,” Lummis said in a joint press release with Gillibrand.

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission have been at odds over which agency is responsible for policing the crypto sector.

However, both will be concerned if the bill gets passed as a law. 

“Understanding that most digital assets are much more similar to commodities than securities, the bill gives the CFTC clear authority over applicable digital asset spot markets, which aligns well with their current purview over other commodity markets,” the senators said. That means bitcoin, ether, and other major crypto tokens will be regulated by the CFTC.