Overview
- President Donald Trump convened cryptocurrency and finance leaders at the White House on Wednesday, Aug. 19, with SEC Chair Paul Atkins, CFTC Chair Mike Selig and senior White House adviser Patrick Witt present.
- The Securities and Exchange Commission formally proposed rules this week to exempt certain token offerings from securities law, a step reported on Tuesday that would make some token fundraising easier under agency authority.
- Prediction-market firms that had been expected to join were left out of the White House event after being excluded from the guest list, a decision officials said was made to avoid distracting optics.
- With the CLARITY Act stalled in Congress, regulators are pressing ahead through separate agency work and advisory panels, including the CFTC’s Innovation Advisory Committee meeting scheduled for Aug. 20.
- Observers warn unresolved market infrastructure issues such as custody, venue eligibility, legal settlement and conflicts of interest involving the president’s family remain open and could shape how any new rules affect ordinary investors.