CFTC Greenlights Tokenized Assets, On-Chain Recordkeeping for Brokers

The CFTC greenlit tokenized assets and on-chain recordkeeping for registered crypto brokers on Thursday, September 24, 2026 — a meaningful dose of the regulatory clarity the industry has been asking for, delivered just days after the Senate failed to advance the CLARITY Act.

What happened. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission updated its guidance for registered crypto-related entities, expanding on a framework first released in March. Under the new language, authorized companies can invest customer funds in tokenized forms of an asset, provided the tokenized version gives holders the same legal and economic rights as the traditional form. The CFTC also said it would not object to firms using blockchain-based recordkeeping. Agency staff updated the CFTC’s crypto FAQs with four new answers and one revision. Chair Michael Selig said the changes are meant to give the crypto industry more regulatory clarity. The move comes days after the US Senate failed to advance the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, which would have spelled out the CFTC’s and SEC’s roles in overseeing digital assets. Federal regulators are not waiting: the CFTC has sent a crypto market regulation plan to the White House for review, and the SEC — days after the failed vote — issued an order creating a temporary pathway for trading tokenized stocks. SEC Chair Paul Atkins had said his agency was ready to propose crypto rules even without action from Congress.

Why it matters. For brokers and clearinghouses, this is an operational green light: tokenized equivalents can now sit inside customer-fund investment programs on equal legal footing, and on-chain ledgers carry an explicit non-objection from the regulator. More broadly, it confirms the post-CLARITY reality — regulators building crypto rules under their existing authority. That is faster than waiting for legislation, but it produces a patchwork: CFTC guidance here, SEC orders there. For tokenization markets, though, the signal is constructive — the two biggest market regulators are effectively blessing tokenized instruments as mainstream infrastructure. Industry figures such as Coinbase’s Brian Armstrong and the Blockchain Association’s Summer Mersinger have said regulatory certainty would open the door to more investment and deeper integration with traditional finance.

What to watch. Watch for the White House review of the CFTC’s crypto market regulation plan, the rollout details of the SEC’s tokenized-stock pathway, and whether Senator Thom Tillis — whose switched vote keeps a motion to reconsider alive — moves to revive the CLARITY Act. Most observers now doubt crypto market-structure legislation passes before 2027. And expect a backlash: a bipartisan group of state attorneys general is already arguing that federal action would curb states’ power over securities markets.

Related reading: SEC’s ‘Crypto Mom’ Hester Peirce Resigns as Staff Issues New Howey Guidance on Crypto Tokens

What do you think — is it better for the CFTC and SEC to keep writing crypto rules on their own, or should Congress pass a market-structure bill like the CLARITY Act first? Share your take below.

Source: CoinCentral – CFTC Updates Crypto Guidance After Senate Stalls on CLARITY Act
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