Key Highlights
- Coinbase policy chief Faryar Shirzad welcomed the SEC’s decision to advance formal rulemaking for certain digital assets.
- The SEC will hold an open meeting on August 14 to consider proposing a tailored offering regime for certain crypto-related investment contracts.
- Coinbase said regulatory action is needed alongside legislation while maintaining that the CLARITY Act remains critical.
Coinbase’s Chief Policy Officer, Faryar Shirzad, expressed support for the Securities and Exchange Commission’s decision to advance a formal rulemaking process for digital assets.
In an X post, Shirzad said it was positive to see the agency moving forward with the development of clear rules. He noted that President Trump’s crypto blueprint called on regulators to use their existing authorities while Congress works on a lasting statutory framework.
Shirzad emphasized that both regulatory action and legislation are required. He described the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act as remaining critical and said Coinbase looks forward to its enactment. At the same time, he argued that policy cannot remain static while Congress deliberates, given ongoing technological and market developments and activity in other jurisdictions.
SEC schedules open meeting on crypto offering rules
The comments followed the SEC’s announcement that it will hold an open meeting on Friday, August 14, 2026, at 10 a.m. ET. The meeting notice indicates the commission will consider proposing a tailored offering regime for certain investment contracts involving crypto assets. A vote at the session would formally initiate the rulemaking process.
The agency issued the notice on short notice, though the item had previously appeared on its agenda. The development comes days after the Senate declined to schedule a pre-recess vote on the CLARITY Act. Majority Leader John Thune did not set a cloture vote before the August recess and later filed a motion that positions a vote for September 15.
Why developments on CLARITY Act matter
The Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act is a legislative proposal intended to establish a clearer division of regulatory responsibility for digital assets between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The bill aims to define which digital assets fall under securities regulation and which under commodities oversight, while setting out registration, disclosure, and operational requirements for market participants.
Supporters have framed it as a vehicle for providing durable statutory clarity. The measure advanced through certain stages but stalled in the Senate before the August recess, leaving the timeline for floor consideration uncertain.
Regulatory path amid legislative delay
The SEC’s planned discussion of a tailored offering regime reflects the agency’s stated readiness to exercise existing statutory authority on crypto-related investment contracts. Under Chair Paul Atkins, the commission has signaled a willingness to pursue rulemaking even in the absence of new legislation.
Shirzad’s statement aligns with the view that interim regulatory steps and eventual legislation can operate in parallel. The SEC meeting is limited to consideration of whether to issue a proposal; any subsequent rules would still require public comment and further commission action before adoption.
Also Read: 1inch Says CLARITY Act Could Give DeFi Greater Legal Certainty
