08.07.202614:32 Forex Analysis & Reviews: SEC publishes 2026 regulatory agenda: plan to turn US into world's crypto capital

Yesterday, the head of the SEC put the regulator's ambition bluntly, "The President has essentially challenged us to make the US the cryptocurrency capital of the world. So that's what we're doing," Paul Atkins said.

This statement accompanies the release of a new regulatory agenda for 2026, in which cryptocurrencies and tokenization occupy a central place. The document describes not isolated measures but a systemic overhaul of several regulatory blocks covering virtually the entire lifecycle of a crypto asset, from issuance to custody and trading.

The first major block concerns broker?dealers: the SEC intends to revise minimum liquid capital requirements, customer-asset protection rules in the event of a broker's bankruptcy, and recordkeeping standards, adapting all three to the specifics of crypto assets. The goal is twofold: to reduce excessive requirements originally designed for traditional securities and, at the same time, provide regulatory clarity where uncertainty currently prevails.

The second block relates to the token issuance process: the regulator plans to set clearer rules for offerings and sales, including possible relaxations for crypto projects so they can launch legally in the US rather than seeking gray jurisdictions as they have in recent years. This is a direct response to a longstanding industry complaint that led many projects to register outside the country.

The remaining three directions concern market infrastructure. The SEC will clarify trading rules for crypto assets for national exchanges and alternative trading systems, prescribe a mechanism for legal custody of clients' digital assets for investment advisers and funds, and update transfer?agent rules as applied to tokenized securities — that is, define how ownership rights can be recorded via distributed?ledger technology when issuing, holding and trading real?world assets (RWA).

This directly echoes what we've already seen in practice: the SEC previously registered Paxos as the first blockchain company to be recognized as a clearing agency, and Invesco, Fidelity and State Street have launched tokenized market funds backed by stablecoin reserves. The new agenda effectively formalizes the legal framework under which these processes are already developing.

Trading recommendations

Bitcoin

Buyers are currently targeting a return to $62,600, which would open a direct path to $64,000, and from there $65,500 — a break above which would signal attempts to resume a bull market. On the downside, buyers are expected at $60,600. A drop back below that area could quickly push BTC toward $58,500. The furthest downside target would be $56,100.

Ethereum

A clear hold above $1,784 would open a direct path to $1,838. The furthest upside target is the high around $1,901; a break above that would reinforce bullish market sentiment and restore buyer interest. On the downside, buyers are expected at $1,725. A return below that area could quickly push ETH toward $1,650. The furthest downside target would be $1,573.

What's on the chart

• The red lines represent support and resistance levels, where the price is expected to either pause or react sharply.
• The green line shows the 50-day moving average.
• The blue line is the 100-day moving average.
• The lime line is the 200-day moving average.

Price testing or crossing any of these moving averages often either halts movement or injects fresh momentum into the market.