Why a quiet but important power shift is happening in Washington around crypto

A significant, quiet power shift is occurring in Washington as federal agencies, particularly the CFTC and SEC, establish permanent regulatory infrastructure for crypto assets, moving beyond case-by-case enforcement. This acceleration is evidenced by numerous actions since December 2025, including launching advisory committees, signing harmonization MOUs, issuing interpretive guidance that taxonomizes digital assets, and creating dedicated task forces. This institutional buildout—comprising advisory committees, formal MOUs, interpretive releases, and rulemaking dockets—creates a de facto operating system for crypto regulation, independent of comprehensive market structure legislation from Congress, which remains deadlocked. This infrastructure will either serve as a foundation for future legislation (bull case) or function as a durable, though potentially provisional, regulatory framework based on agency authority (bear case). Regardless of the outcome, the creation of these standing mechanisms confirms that crypto has become a permanent feature of the regulatory landscape.

(Source：CryptoSlate)