The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission has advanced a broad crypto rulemaking into White House review, signaling that the agency is developing a formal framework for digital asset transactions and markets.
The submission, listed by the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs under RIN 3038-AF80, is titled “Regulations Crypto Asset Transactions and Regulations Crypto Asset Markets.” OIRA records show that the filing was received on September 17 and remains under review.
Pre-rule stage means no immediate market changes
The proposal is currently classified as a pre-rule. It is not a final regulation and has not yet created new trading permissions, compliance deadlines or automatic changes to the way U.S. exchanges may offer crypto derivatives.
The CFTC must complete the executive-branch review process before the details of any potential proposal are made public. The eventual rulemaking could address how digital asset products, including perpetual-style contracts, fit within the agency’s existing oversight of futures, options and other derivatives.
Derivatives firms will be watching the details
The development follows CFTC guidance and no-action positions issued earlier in 2026 involving crypto derivatives, perpetual-style products and activities by registered firms. A broader rulemaking could bring some of that policy work into a more durable regulatory framework.
For exchanges, brokers and derivatives venues, key questions will include margin requirements, eligible participants, swap registration, clearing obligations and the treatment of leveraged retail products. Those provisions could determine whether more crypto derivatives activity can move onto regulated U.S. platforms.
For now, the OIRA filing represents a procedural step rather than a completed policy change. Its significance is that the CFTC has moved the initiative beyond informal discussions and submitted a formal regulatory package for White House review.
