What's New with the CFTC’s Crypto Sprint?
Launched by Acting Chair Caroline D. Pham on August 1, 2025, the Crypto Sprint is a fast-paced push to implement recommendations issued by the President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets . It marks the CFTC’s commitment to accelerating regulatory clarity and innovation in digital assets, including DeFi, tokenized markets, and perpetual derivatives .
A Step Forward: Listed Spot Crypto Trading
The first concrete action under the initiative, announced August 4, allows spot crypto asset contracts to be traded on CFTC-registered futures exchanges (DCMs) . This effectively brings spot crypto within existing regulatory frameworks—opening a compliant path to trade assets like $BTC and $ETH at the federal level .
Stakeholder Engagement & Public Feedback
The CFTC has invited industry participants and the public to submit comments by August 18, focused on topics such as:
Application of Section 2(c)(2)(D) of the Commodity Exchange Act
Compliance under Part 40 of CFTC regulations
Interplay with securities laws or SEC frameworks
This signals a collaborative regulatory process aimed at swift and structured implementation .
Coordinated Approach with the SEC
CFTC’s Crypto Sprint aligns closely with the SEC’s parallel initiative, Project Crypto. Both agencies are working in tandem to create a harmonized regulatory environment for digital assets . SEC Chair Paul Atkins is exploring tools like an “innovation exemption”—a sandbox-style mechanism that would allow faster market entry for new tech-driven business models .