SEC Targets July Rollout for Crypto Safe Harbor Rules

Highlights:

• The SEC plans to release crypto safe harbor rules this month before opening the proposal for public comment.
• The proposal would create temporary exemptions for eligible crypto startups, token sales, and decentralized finance projects.
• The SEC also plans new rules for crypto broker-dealers, market structure, custody, and tokenized securities.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission plans to introduce crypto safe harbor rules this month under its Regulation Crypto proposal. The updated agenda lists July as the target month before the SEC opens a public comment period on the proposal. The White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs is reviewing the proposal before the SEC releases it for public comment. The updated regulatory agenda marks the clearest sign that the SEC plans to publish formal crypto-specific rules under Chair Paul Atkins this month.

SEC Plans Crypto Safe Harbor Proposal as Early as This Month

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has updated its 2026 rulemaking agenda and plans to release its long-awaited crypto regulatory proposal for public comment as early as this month. The proposal aims to… pic.twitter.com/3KxGOlZ3CZ

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) July 8, 2026

The proposal would establish federal rules for offering and selling crypto assets in the United States to reduce regulatory uncertainty. It would also create temporary exemptions and safe harbors for qualifying token sales, decentralized finance activities, and tokenized securities. The proposed exemptions would protect qualifying crypto issuers, tokenized securities projects, and eligible decentralized finance activities from SEC enforcement while they satisfy the safe harbor conditions.

The SEC expects to publish the proposal this month before opening a public comment period that will shape the final rule. Unlike staff guidance, formal rules carry greater legal weight and remain more difficult to reverse. Earlier this year, the SEC published its first crypto taxonomy to explain how federal regulators classify digital assets and determine their regulatory treatment.

Crypto Safe Harbor Rules Explained

The proposed crypto safe harbor rules would create temporary exemptions for several crypto activities. The framework would allow developers, startups, and token issuers to build qualifying crypto projects under temporary regulatory exemptions. The SEC would require projects to satisfy specific safe harbor conditions before granting temporary exemptions from securities registration requirements.

In March, Atkins said startups worth up to $5 million could qualify for temporary exemptions while testing crypto products during their first four years. The proposed framework would also allow entrepreneurs to raise up to $75 million through qualifying crypto investment contracts. Those measures would help eligible projects develop under defined regulatory conditions before transitioning beyond the safe harbor period.

🔥 NEW: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins unveils Regulation Crypto Assets

A Token safe harbor proposal introducing three tracks:
Startup, Fundraising, and Investment contract exemptions, aimed at supporting crypto builders. pic.twitter.com/zPcoCoDYzh

— Coin Bureau (@coinbureau) March 18, 2026

The proposal also explains when certain crypto assets could stop falling under federal securities regulations. According to Atkins, an asset could qualify once its creators no longer perform essential managerial efforts. The proposal would allow certain crypto assets to move outside securities regulation after developers no longer control or manage the network.

Atkins linked the proposal to President Donald Trump’s goal of making the United States the global leader in digital asset innovation. He said the SEC wants to bring more financial products onshore while encouraging innovation.

SEC Expands Its Crypto Rulebook

The SEC added three separate crypto rulemaking projects to its 2026 regulatory agenda. Together, the crypto asset, broker-dealer, and market structure proposals would establish rules for issuing, trading, and holding digital assets. The agency aims to provide clearer regulatory standards across multiple parts of the digital asset market.

The broker-dealer proposal would amend Rules 15c3-1, 15c3-3, 17a-3, and 17a-4 to explain how existing financial rules apply to digital assets. The proposal would also clarify how broker-dealers should safeguard customer crypto assets under existing financial responsibility requirements.

Another SEC proposal would update market structure rules for digital assets traded on alternative trading systems and national securities exchanges. Earlier this year, the SEC outlined conditions allowing certain qualifying decentralized finance platforms to operate without registering as broker-dealers.

The SEC is also reviewing several crypto-related exchange-traded fund applications, including prediction market ETFs, alongside its broader digital asset rulemaking agenda.

SEC Official Says Agency Is Building a More Orderly ETF Approval Process, Considering Confidential Filings

Bloomberg ETF analyst Eric Balchunas cited SEC Investment Management Division official Brian Daly as saying that the SEC receives about 200 ETF applications per month,… pic.twitter.com/tEeeaHzJ9K

— Wu Blockchain (@WuBlockchain) July 3, 2026