Senators Stabenow, Boozman introduce crypto bill that extends CFTC’s regulatory powers
2022.08.03 23:42
Senators Stabenow, Boozman introduce crypto bill that extends CFTC’s regulatory powers
United States Senate Agriculture Committee chair Debbie Stabenow and ranking member John Boozman introduced the Digital Commodities Consumer Protection Act bill on Wednesday. The bill has been expected for several months. Like the Digital Commodities Exchange Act (DCEA) introduced into the House of Representatives by members of the House Agriculture Committee in April, the new bill enlarges the role of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The new bill is not the companion to the DCEA, however.
According to the summary, the bill’s definition of digital commodities “includes Bitcoin and Ether and excludes certain financial instruments including securities,” which are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The bill mandates registration by the CFTC of a broad spectrum of market players, such as “digital commodity broker,” “digital commodity custodian,” “digital commodity dealer” and “digital commodity trading facility,” which are collectively understood to be “digital commodity platforms.” Digital commodity platforms could be cross-registered with the SEC under the bill.
