The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at coordinating oversight of financial markets, including cryptocurrencies, in an effort to reduce regulatory conflicts between the two agencies.
The agreement commits the regulators to closer collaboration through information sharing, joint oversight, and coordination on issues of ‘common regulatory interest,‘ as new technologies such as digital assets increasingly blur the traditional boundaries between securities and commodities markets.
In a joint statement, the agencies said evolving trading models, digital infrastructure and automated on-chain systems have made it more difficult to apply existing regulatory frameworks requiring a more unified approach to supervision.
SEC Chair, Paul Atkins, said the agreement was intended to ease long-standing jurisdictional tensions between the two regulators that have often complicated compliance for market participants. He added that overlapping rules and competing registrations had historically “stifled innovation” and pushed firms to operate in other jurisdictions.
“For decades, regulatory turf wars, duplicative agency registrations, and different sets of regulations between the SEC and CFTC have stifled innovation and pushed market participants to other jurisdictions,” said SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins.
“This updated Memorandum of Understanding will serve as a roadmap for a new era of harmonization between the agencies – one that is critical to support U.S. leadership in this next chapter of financial innovation. By aligning regulatory definitions, coordinating oversight, and facilitating seamless, secure data sharing between agencies, we will ensure our rules and regulations deliver the clarity market participants deserve.”
Under the memo, the SEC and CFTC plan to coordinate regulatory policy, share supervisory findings and potentially conduct joint examinations of firms that fall under both agencies’ authority. The regulators also aim to clarify how digital assets are classified — a key issue determining whether the SEC or CFTC has primary oversight.
“America’s financial markets are the envy of the world because they scale and adapt to meet investor demands. Like our markets, the CFTC’s and SEC’s regulatory frameworks must also evolve and modernize to accommodate the needs of our market participants,” said CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig. “
This Memorandum of Understanding solidifies the agencies’ commitment to harmonize regulatory frameworks to provide comprehensive and seamless financial market oversight. By working together, we’ll eliminate duplicative, burdensome rules and close gaps in regulation for the benefit of all Americans and usher in a Golden Age of American finance.”
In conjunction with the MoU, the agencies created a Joint Harmonization Initiative to advance coordinated oversight and promote regulatory clarity in areas of common regulatory interest.
The initiative will support coordination across the policymaking, examination and enforcement functions of each agency, particularly for joint applications and shared policy efforts, including:
- Clarifying product definitions through joint interpretations and rule-makings.
- Modernizing clearing, margin, and collateral frameworks.
- Reducing frictions for dually registered exchanges, trading venues, and intermediaries.
- Providing a fit-for-purpose regulatory framework for crypto assets and other emerging technologies.
- Streamlining regulatory reporting for trade data, funds, and intermediaries.
- Coordinating cross-market examinations, economic analyses, risk monitoring, surveillance, and enforcement.
The Joint Harmonization Initiative will be co-led by Robert Teply (SEC) and Meghan Tente (CFTC).
The agencies said they would pursue what they called a “minimum effective dose” approach to regulation, seeking to foster innovation while maintaining market integrity and global competitiveness.
The move comes amid broader efforts by U.S. policymakers to provide clearer rules for the crypto sector and attract digital asset innovation to the United States.
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