| Reader situation | Item | Date or status | Planning use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tracking US agency policy | Project Crypto token taxonomy, detailed in SEC Chair Paul Atkins’ testimony | 11 February 2026 | Shows how digital commodities, collectibles and utility tools are being separated. Read the taxonomy before assuming how a token is treated. |
| Holding crypto through a US bank or custodian | SAB 121 rescinded through SAB 122 | Reported February 2026 | Aims to ease bank custody of digital assets. Check what your own provider actually offers. |
| Using payment stablecoins | GENIUS Act | Enacted | Applies to payment stablecoins. Do not assume it covers other tokens. |
| Waiting for US market-structure rules | Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act | Pending as of February 2026 | Not enacted at that point, so do not plan around its terms. |
| Holding or trading in the EU | MiCA | Introduced as the EU framework | Focuses on licensing, consumer protection and stablecoin oversight. Prefer licensed platforms. |
| Trading from China or Dubai | China’s trading bans; Dubai’s VARA framework | Current approach | Opposite ends of the spectrum: prohibition in one, a supportive regime in the other. |
Dates and figures in the table come from Bitcoin.com News reporting on the SEC overhaul and the Blockchain Council’s regulation roundup.
Crypto regulation news is easiest to use when sorted by what you hold and where you hold it. Find the situation below that matches yours, then check each dated item against the regulator’s own document.
For market coverage beyond rule changes, see crypto news today. For token-specific stories, try altcoin news today.
Following US agency announcements
US crypto policy is currently moving through agency action more than through new statutes. That makes the SEC and CFTC the first places to look for changes.
SEC and CFTC coordination in March 2026
The SEC and CFTC released a Memorandum of Understanding in March 2026 to improve coordination, according to a report dated 31 March 2026. The same report says the agencies issued joint guidance in late March 2026 on how securities and commodities laws apply to crypto assets.
For holders, the guidance matters because it addresses which agency’s rules apply to a given asset. It does not change your tax position or custody terms by itself. If you trade tokens that sit in a grey area between securities and commodities, read the joint guidance itself rather than a summary.
Project Crypto and the SEC’s policy reset
Project Crypto is described as a joint SEC-CFTC effort, and it introduces a token taxonomy distinguishing digital commodities, collectibles and utility tools. Bitcoin.com News traces the detail to SEC Chair Paul Atkins’ testimony on 11 February 2026. The same coverage reports the withdrawal of 14 proposals from the prior administration, a list that includes crypto custody protections.
Project Crypto also outlines a forthcoming innovation exemption, designed as a regulatory sandbox. The right response depends on who you are:
- Long-term holders: watch the taxonomy, because it signals which tokens may be treated as digital commodities rather than securities.
- Active traders: follow the CFTC alongside the SEC, since the joint approach means one announcement can touch both.
- People who want certainty: wait for final text. A testimony and an announced exemption are signals, not rules you can rely on.
Holding crypto through banks, brokers and custodians
If your coins sit with a regulated intermediary, supervisory actions on that intermediary affect you more than headline legislation does.
Custody and the SAB 121 rescission
The SEC rescinded SAB 121 through SAB 122 to ease bank custody of digital assets, a shift reported in February 2026. The practical effect is that banks face less friction in holding digital assets for customers. It does not guarantee that your bank offers crypto custody, so confirm directly with the provider.
FinCEN and self-hosted wallets
On 16 August 2024, FinCEN announced it had withdrawn a proposed rule under the Bank Secrecy Act that would have required identity collection for self-hosted wallet users, as summarised in a JD Supra bulletin on blockchain and digital assets. For anyone who keeps coins in a wallet they control, that proposal is no longer pending.
Bank-side supervisory items from 2024
The same bulletin records several dated items. They are older than the 2026 US moves above, so treat them as context.
- FINRA update: on 13 August 2024, FINRA published an update on its member firms’ crypto activities. If you use a broker-dealer, it indicates where supervisors are looking.
- FDIC proposal: on 30 July 2024, the FDIC announced proposed rules broadening the definition of brokered deposits. It is a bank-side proposal, so treat it as background rather than a change to how you hold crypto.
- Federal Reserve order: on 8 August 2024, the Federal Reserve Board announced a consent order between the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and Customers Bancorp over Bank Secrecy Act compliance. It shows that compliance failures at crypto-serving banks draw formal action.
- Prometheum custody: the company’s press release scheduled institutional custody services to open in Q3 2024. This is a company announcement, not a regulator approval.
Using stablecoins
Stablecoins are where the clearest enacted rules sit, and they are the area where regulators in several places are pressing on the same issue: what backs the coin.
US: the GENIUS Act
The GENIUS Act is enacted law for payment stablecoins, as noted in Bitcoin.com News coverage of the SEC overhaul. Its scope is payment stablecoins, not crypto generally, so it will not settle the status of other tokens you hold.
Wyoming at state level
Wyoming’s governor signed the Wyoming Stable Token Act in March 2023, establishing the Wyoming Stable Token Commission, according to the JD Supra bulletin. It shows that US states have acted on stablecoins independently of Washington.
What regulators want from reserves
The Blockchain Council says regulators are focusing on reserve backing and transparency, and notes that MiCA covers stablecoin oversight. As a holder, favour stablecoins whose issuers publish clear reserve information, because that is the point where rules are tightening.
Living or trading in the EU
MiCA is the headline EU item. Under it, platform licensing is the thing a retail user can most easily check.
What MiCA covers
The European Union has introduced the Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation, known as MiCA, as a unified framework, per the Blockchain Council. It focuses on licensing, consumer protection and stablecoin oversight. In practice, an EU-based user should look for a licensed provider, and anyone issuing or holding stablecoins should expect oversight of those instruments.
How US and EU rules differ
The main difference is structure. The EU has a single framework in MiCA, while the US, according to the Blockchain Council, continues to rely heavily on enforcement actions rather than comprehensive legislation. It adds that agencies such as the SEC and CFTC often have overlapping jurisdictions, which is part of why the March 2026 coordination memorandum matters.
US legislation is moving more slowly. Bitcoin.com News reports Senate movement on the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act as of February 2026, with no enactment. For a holder, the EU offers a clearer rulebook to check against today, while US users depend more on current agency positions.
Trading across borders
If you move between exchanges or jurisdictions, two themes recur in the Blockchain Council’s roundup: data sharing and tax reporting.
- Travel Rule: it is described as becoming a global standard, requiring exchanges to share transaction data. Expect an exchange to ask for details on both sides of a transfer.
- Tax reporting: capital gains taxes and reporting requirements are becoming standard, though they vary by jurisdiction. Keep your own transaction records regardless of where you live.
- China: it has imposed strict bans on crypto trading, so it is not a place to plan trading activity around.
- Dubai: the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority has created a supportive environment, a contrast to the Chinese approach.
Dates and deadlines to diary
Few items in the public record carry firm compliance dates, so use this short list as a watch list rather than a countdown.
- Treasury definition of money: the Semiannual Regulatory Agenda scheduled a revision for September 2025, according to the JD Supra bulletin. It is intended to align crypto regulations by extending reporting to crypto.
- Innovation exemption: described in Bitcoin.com News coverage as forthcoming in February 2026, so there is no compliance date to diary yet.
- Prometheum custody launch: scheduled for Q3 2024 in the company’s press release.
Checking an item against the official text
Treat any summary, including this one, as a pointer to the primary document. Open the agency’s own announcement, guidance or legislative text, and match the date, the stated scope and who it applies to before you act.
Pairing this list with the best crypto news sources helps you spot new announcements sooner. Always confirm the detail at the regulator.
Frequently asked questions
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What crypto regulation changes happened this week? | Check the SEC, CFTC and EU newsrooms for anything dated this week. The latest items here are the March 2026 SEC and CFTC memorandum and late-March 2026 joint guidance, reported on 31 March 2026. |
| Which countries have passed comprehensive crypto laws? | The EU’s MiCA is the clearest unified framework. The US has enacted the GENIUS Act for payment stablecoins, but the broader CLARITY Act was still pending as of February 2026, per Bitcoin.com News. |
| Who sits on the SEC commission? | As of February 2026, Chair Paul Atkins and Commissioners Hester Peirce and Mark Uyeda were the remaining members of a 3-0 Republican commission, according to the same Bitcoin.com News report. |
| Do regulators also issue scam warnings? | Yes. The FBI issued a public service announcement on 1 August 2024 warning users of crypto exchanges about impersonation scams, as listed in the JD Supra bulletin. |
