The US Securities and Exchange Commission has put crypto policy on the agenda for an open meeting on Friday, when commissioners are set to consider “new rules to create a tailored offering regime for certain investment contracts involving crypto assets.” The item suggests the agency may try to move ahead with parts of a digital-asset framework even without a new law from Congress.

The meeting comes days after Senate lawmakers failed to pass the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, known as the CLARITY Act. That bill had been expected to provide a broader structure for how regulators oversee the crypto sector.

A possible policy move from the SEC

According to the SEC’s published agenda, Friday’s open meeting will address a proposal aimed at certain crypto-related investment contracts. The language points specifically to an offering regime tailored to those products, rather than a full rewrite of the agency’s approach to digital assets.

If adopted or advanced, the rules could become one of the commission’s clearest attempts to define how some crypto offerings should be handled under securities regulation. The agenda itself, however, does not resolve the larger question of how far the SEC can go on its own in setting crypto policy.

Congressional delay leaves room for agency action

The timing is significant because the SEC’s meeting follows the Senate’s failure last week to pass the CLARITY Act. The legislation had been viewed as a potential comprehensive framework for cryptocurrency oversight, giving regulators more explicit direction on how to divide and apply their authority.

With that bill stalled, the SEC appears positioned to consider narrower action through its own rulemaking process. That would not necessarily replace legislation, but it could allow the agency to address selected issues affecting the industry while Congress remains deadlocked.

Atkins signaled readiness before the recess

Before the congressional recess, SEC Chair Paul Atkins said the commission was “ready, willing, and able to come out with rules” for digital assets if the CLARITY bill did not pass. That statement now reads as an early indication that the agency was preparing a fallback path in case lawmakers did not deliver a statutory framework.

Even so, the scope of the SEC’s authority in the absence of congressional action remains uncertain. The source article notes that it is still unclear how much power the commission has to act without a new law from Congress. Cointelegraph said it sought comment from the agency but did not receive an immediate response.

What happens next

Friday’s open meeting is the next confirmed step. It should provide the first official indication of whether the SEC intends to propose, adopt or otherwise advance a specific crypto offering framework under existing authority.

The CLARITY Act is not necessarily finished. The bill could still become law, but it faces further obstacles in both the Senate and the House and would also need the president’s signature. Until then, the SEC’s planned meeting may offer the clearest near-term signal of how US regulators plan to proceed on crypto oversight without waiting for Congress.

Source: cointelegraph.com