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According to CoinDesk, the Clarity Act, aimed at establishing a clear regulatory framework for cryptocurrency in the United States, has been declared a failure after months of intense negotiations. The bill was originally intended to address the definition of digital assets at the federal level, but it failed to reach the final voting process due to fierce interest group conflicts.Multiple sources indicate that the core reason for the legislative collapse lies in complex jurisdictional conflicts and disputes over terms. The CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission) and SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) are in disagreement over the management rights of certain digital assets, while lawmakers also struggle to reach a consensus on how to define the legal attributes of NFTs, DeFi protocols, and stablecoins. Despite calls from organizations to eliminate market uncertainty through legislation, a key compromise proposal ultimately could not be reached.The Fintech Association and other industry organizations had previously lobbied actively in support of the bill, hoping to establish clear industry standards. With the failure of this legislation, traditional financial institutions on Wall Street and cryptocurrency projects will continue to face legal gray areas, and the industry's compliance process will thus be forced to delay.

The New Zealand Exchange O.G. Com has submitted an application to the CFTC to launch single stock perpetual futures, attempting to bring traditional stock leveraged trading into the DeFi space.

Summer Mersinger, former commissioner of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), will step down as CEO of the industry advocacy organization Blockchain Association at the end of the year and leave the organization. The organization announced on Friday that Mersinger will officially resign on October 16, and her predecessor, Kristin Smith, will return as interim CEO. Mersinger joined Blockchain Association in June 2025, after leaving the CFTC three years before the end of her second commissioner term.When discussing her departure, Mersinger stated that she came here from the CFTC because she believes the industry deserves clear rules and a credible and unified representative to speak for it in Washington. The Blockchain Association highlighted Mersinger's work in promoting the GENIUS Act and helping to achieve regulatory clarity at the SEC and CFTC in its statement.Notably, the organization did not mention the Digital Asset Market Clear Act currently under consideration in the Senate. This bill failed to gain enough support from Democratic and Republican lawmakers in a procedural vote earlier this month, and many experts expect the legislation to be shelved until 2027. The Blockchain Association did not immediately respond to inquiries about Mersinger's plans for 2027.

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Division of Corporation Finance updated its frequently asked questions document on cryptocurrency assets on Friday, clarifying that token buybacks, network upgrades, and marketing promotions do not automatically make cryptocurrency assets securities. The division stated that announcing a buyback plan for an already functioning cryptocurrency network does not, by itself, make the associated tokens constitute an investment contract; however, for networks that are not yet operational, if the issuer promotes the buyback as a source of returns for holders, this conclusion may not necessarily apply.Regarding the ongoing development issues of cryptocurrency projects after their launch, the document pointed out that once a cryptocurrency system is operational, services used to protect, maintain, improve, or enhance that system and its functions, or to promote network effects, do not fall under the managerial efforts referred to in the Howey test. The existing uses of marketing networks generally do not create profit expectations, and statements regarding future functionalities are similarly true, provided that profit potential is not promoted. The document reiterated that specific judgments still heavily depend on the actual circumstances of each case.This document is based on the interpretive guidance issued by the SEC in March of this year regarding the application of securities laws to cryptocurrency assets, released just weeks after the Clarity Act failed to advance in the Senate, with regulators continuing to operate under existing laws. Additionally, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission updated its cryptocurrency FAQs on Thursday, stating that futures companies and clearinghouses may invest customer funds in tokenized versions of previously permitted assets, provided that investment and custody requirements are met; regulated companies may use blockchain for record-keeping but must be able to provide relevant records when the blockchain or its block explorer is not operational.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has filed a lawsuit against Cash FX Group S.A. and its CEO Huascar Jose Lopez Castillo, The Conversion Pros Inc. and its CEO Ronald Pope, Justin Halladay, accusing the aforementioned defendants of operating a multi-level marketing Ponzi scheme that raised over $950 million from the public, including in the United States, claiming it was for retail foreign exchange contract trading.The CFTC stated that the defendants falsely claimed that funds were traded by professional traders, proprietary algorithms, and AI, promising returns of up to 15% per week; in reality, Cash FX conducted only a small amount of foreign exchange trading, and almost all participant funds were misappropriated, paying fictitious trading profits to other participants using funds from new participants, while paying millions of dollars to the defendants. The CFTC claimed that Cash FX also provided participants with false account statements to maintain the illusion of high trading returns, resulting in participants losing at least $406 million. The CFTC is seeking to order the defendants to pay restitution, recover illegal profits, pay civil monetary penalties, and impose trading and registration bans as well as permanent injunctions.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has made it clear that commodity companies will not be penalized for allocating investor funds to tokenized assets. The CFTC also pointed out that the current regulatory framework allows institutions to use blockchain technology to maintain official records.

According to Bitcoin Magazine, former Chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chris Giancarlo stated in an interview with Bitcoin Magazine that the expansion of government spending and currency depreciation has made Bitcoin's value proposition more prominent than ever. He believes that Bitcoin's fixed supply and scarcity make it a digital form of gold, and it is expected to become a monetary anchor in the future.Giancarlo pointed out that the Federal Reserve's interest rate hikes and the continuous rise in U.S. debt levels will actually reinforce the value logic of Bitcoin. He also mentioned that the failure of the CLARITY Act to pass does not constitute a setback for Bitcoin, as the trend towards tokenized currency is irreversible. He anticipates that by 2036, all securities issuances will be tokenized.Regarding stablecoins, Giancarlo mentioned the GENIUS Act and its impact on the demand for U.S. Treasury bonds. He also reflected on his journey of becoming interested in Bitcoin after the 2008 financial crisis, as well as his experience of being dubbed the "Crypto Dad" due to his friendly attitude towards the crypto industry.

According to Decrypt, Mike Selig, the chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), stated that after the Senate rejected the Clear Act, the CFTC will continue to advance the formulation of rules for the cryptocurrency market structure, saying "now is the time for action." Selig pointed out that the CFTC's existing statutory authority provides room for advancing the rules without waiting for Congress to pass new legislation.The agency will also reassess the current rules applicable to algorithmic and smart agent-driven 24/7 on-chain markets. Related arrangements may include establishing designated contract market categories that allow exchanges to offer cryptocurrency leveraged trading under CFTC regulation; however, the CFTC does not have the authority to regulate the spot market, and regulation of the spot market still requires legislation.

According to a post by Watcher Guru, the Chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Mike Selig, stated that the agency is preparing for onchain systems, mass tokenization, 24/7 trading, and agentic finance.The preparation directions mentioned by Selig include onchain systems, mass tokenization, 24/7 trading, and agentic finance.

Democratic members of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee sent a letter to the committee's chairman, Republican Senator Tim Scott, calling for a congressional hearing on prediction markets. The Democrats stated in the letter that the committee has a "critical oversight responsibility" in regulating prediction markets and emphasized that Congress should examine prediction markets through public hearings on a bipartisan basis, rather than in closed-door roundtable meetings limited to Republicans and industry-friendly discussions. Senators including Elizabeth Warren signed the letter.On the same day, Republican members of the Senate Banking Committee met with Tarek Mansour, CEO of the prediction market platform Kalshi. Scott stated in a statement to The Block that he convened Republican lawmakers to meet with Kalshi to better understand the opportunities and challenges presented by securities-linked products. The two sides discussed keeping innovation within the United States, how investors use these products, protecting retail investors, and regulatory issues that Congress should address. Kalshi did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Currently, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) advocates for a leading role in the regulation of prediction markets but faces opposition from various states, which claim jurisdiction over sports event contracts. The Senate Banking Committee, on the other hand, has jurisdiction over the SEC and is responsible for regulating "securities-linked products" related to prediction markets. Democrats pointed out that the bets offered by such products, which are linked to company performance metrics, may fall under the SEC's regulatory scope. It has been reported that Cboe Global Markets is seeking SEC approval for its listing of "all-or-nothing options" linked to company earnings results.

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) market regulatory department announced that prediction contracts based on whether specific individuals mention certain words or attend events face a high risk of market manipulation and can only be launched on designated contract markets under limited circumstances.CFTC recommends that relevant platforms assess whether individuals who can influence contract outcomes are bound by legal, professional, contractual, fiduciary, or confidentiality obligations, and take proactive trading rules and risk control measures to prevent manipulation.

Michael Selig, the chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), stated that regulators need to prepare for "mass tokenization" and adjust existing markets for new technologies such as blockchain and artificial intelligence. Selig mentioned at the U.S. Treasury Market Conference held by the New York Federal Reserve on Tuesday that developments like tokenization, on-chain finance, and 24/7 trading could lead to changes in the financial markets over the next decade that surpass the sum of the past several decades.Selig noted that the entire Trump administration laid the groundwork for the U.S. market to maintain its global leadership by embracing innovation, encouraging competition, and implementing reasonable regulations. The CFTC will also seek more ways to encourage market participants, exchanges, and clearinghouses to responsibly adopt stablecoins. Over the past year, the agency has issued guidance and sought public input on 24/7 trading in the energy derivatives market; in February of this year, the CFTC included stablecoins issued by National Trust Bank in the list of eligible collateral.Meanwhile, the CFTC's sister agency, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), released the highly anticipated "innovation exemption" last week, creating space for on-chain trading of tokenized stocks. After a bill regulating the cryptocurrency industry stalled in the Senate, the two agencies are advancing their respective agendas.

The launch of NVIDIA GPU rental price futures has encountered obstacles. The Chicago Mercantile Exchange originally planned to introduce computing power futures contracts in early October but is expected to be unable to obtain regulatory approval on time.The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is extending its review to study how the contracts operate and to solicit industry opinions.

According to CNBC, the prediction market platform Kalshi has submitted an application to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) through its clearing agency Kalshi Klear, seeking to introduce margin trading for certain event contracts, allowing eligible traders to use leverage.Currently, event contracts on U.S. regulated exchanges require full collateral, and while Kalshi has offered leverage in its perpetual futures business, it has not yet been authorized to apply this to the prediction market. Kalshi stated that this feature aims to attract more institutional liquidity and, if approved, will only be available to self-clearing members that meet capital requirements, excluding sports, cultural, and "mention-type" markets. The company also plans to increase margin requirements as contracts approach expiration.

IcoBeast.eth, the head of Kalshi's cryptocurrency business, posted a statement addressing external concerns regarding Kalshi's cryptocurrency prediction market trading volume fraud and self-clearing members (SCM) of perpetual contracts. He stated that the Artemis chart shows the proportion of prediction market trading volume, not the trading volume of perpetual contracts; Kalshi will not provide rebates for the cryptocurrency prediction market, and the calculation method for the number of contracts and notional amounts in the prediction market is consistent with other prediction markets, thus making it comparable.Regarding the claim that "SCM is a market maker selected by Kalshi," he stated that this is not true. Any institution that meets regulatory requirements can become a self-clearing member of a CFTC-regulated exchange, and "fair access" is also one of the regulatory requirements. He also mentioned that all exchanges improve liquidity through rebates and incentive programs, including CME, Hyperliquid, and Binance. As for Kalshi's perpetual contract business, he acknowledged that it is still in the early stages but stated that unlike offshore perpetual contract trading platforms, Kalshi needs to publicly disclose incentive programs, so the relevant incentive arrangements can be publicly viewed.

The prediction market Kalshi has submitted proposed rule changes to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and filed for approval with the CFTC to launch perpetual futures contracts anchored to individual U.S. stocks. This proposal echoes the application submitted by Coinbase on the same day, as both companies aim to introduce popular perpetual futures products from the crypto market into the traditional stock market.According to the proposal, the relevant contracts will not have a preset expiration date and will maintain price consistency with the underlying stocks through periodic funding payments between long and short positions. Kalshi stated that these contracts will be treated as securities futures products and will be cleared through its CFTC-registered clearinghouse, Kalshi Klear. Previously, Kalshi has offered perpetual futures anchored to Bitcoin, Ethereum, Solana, and XRP in the U.S., with its Bitcoin perpetual contract receiving CFTC approval in May of this year.The competition for U.S. stock individual perpetual futures is expanding. Kraken's parent company Payward has also submitted an application through its Bitnomial Exchange, planning to initially offer perpetual futures anchored to 10 U.S. stocks, including Tesla, Nvidia, Apple, Microsoft, and Amazon, and is committed to achieving trading five days a week, 24 hours a day. These applications were submitted after the CLARITY Act failed to advance in the Senate on September 15, with SEC Chairman Paul Atkins stating that regardless of legislation, the agency will act decisively within its existing statutory authority to provide regulatory certainty for investors and entrepreneurs.

According to Bloomberg, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is fulfilling its earlier commitment to rapidly advance cryptocurrency regulatory rules. Previously, a landmark digital asset bill failed to progress in the U.S. Senate this week.As the futures and swaps regulatory agency that was originally set to become the main regulatory body for the cryptocurrency market under the CLARITY Act, the CFTC has submitted a new proposal aimed at regulating cryptocurrency asset trading and markets for White House review. Information released by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on Friday indicates that the proposal was accepted on Thursday.

On September 17, 2026, the Market Participants Division of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) announced that it has issued a no-action position to passive software providers, similar to Staff Letter 26-09, which is now broadly applicable to such providers.The letter states that, subject to several specified conditions, the Division will not recommend that the Commission take enforcement action against any such provider or its related persons for failing to register as a introducing broker or an introducing broker affiliate. This position only applies to those who provide and market software to users for trading with registered futures commission merchants, introducing brokers, and designated contract markets.This announcement came just hours after the sister agency, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), issued an innovation exemption.