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US policymakers have moved to clarify crypto regulation, prompting strong support from Binance co-founder Changpeng Zhao during a high-profile industry event. SEC and CFTC unveil joint guidance The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have issued new guidance that introduces a five-category crypto asset taxonomy. The framework divides tokens into digital commodities, collectibles, tools, stablecoins, and securities, seeking to remove years of legal uncertainty in the US. Moreover, the guidance explicitly classifies Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), and Solana (SOL) as digital commodities rather than securities. This distinction is crucial because it places these networks outside the SEC’s strict securities regime, aligning them more closely with commodities such as traditional futures products. Clearer rules on mining, staking and airdrops The joint framework also clarifies how several core blockchain activities will be treated under US law. It states that protocol mining, staking rewards, and certain types of airdrops are regarded as non-securities activities when they meet specific conditions. However, detailed thresholds and edge cases are expected to remain an area of legal interpretation. That said, the regulators emphasize that projects conducting token sales or promising profit based on managerial efforts can still fall under securities definitions. As a result, teams designing token distribution models may need to carefully review the new guidance with legal counsel. Digital commodities classification reshapes the landscape The updated framework splits crypto assets into structured groups designed to simplify oversight. Core networks such as Bitcoin and Ethereum are now clearly treated as digital commodities, meaning they will be supervised more like other commodity markets and not as traditional investment contracts. Other categories cover NFTs, utility tokens used as tools within applications, and stablecoins that follow specific operational and reserve rules. Only a narrower slice of assets, mainly those tied directly to traditional…

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Filed under: News - @ March 18, 2026 11:24 am