Odaily News: The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) on Monday initiated a rulemaking process aimed at establishing a unified federal regulatory framework for leveraged and margined spot trading of crypto assets for retail customers.
The CFTC is considering two sets of rules, Regulation CTX and Regulation CAM, to create a new registration category called "Crypto Asset Market." Qualifying crypto trading platforms could offer leveraged and margined spot trading to retail users under CFTC oversight, subject to unified federal regulatory standards.
This framework would provide an alternative compliance path for crypto exchanges currently operating under state licenses. However, the CFTC made clear that without congressional authorization, the agency cannot compel all crypto asset trading to migrate to CFTC-registered platforms.
CFTC Chairman Michael Selig said the move is an important step toward keeping the U.S. as the "global crypto capital," adding that American investors need clearer rules, regulatory certainty, and consumer protection.
Overall, the CFTC is attempting to use its existing authority to first establish a federal framework for retail crypto leverage trading, rather than waiting for Congress to pass comprehensive market structure legislation. If ultimately implemented, U.S. crypto exchanges could for the first time gain a nationally unified regulatory pathway for retail leveraged spot trading, but the CFTC's mandatory jurisdiction over the entire crypto spot market still depends on congressional legislation.