US Senate postpones vote on crypto regulatory framework to 2026
- Senate postpones cryptocurrency market structure.
- SEC and CFTC remain without a clear division.
- Crypto companies await federal regulations.
The United States Senate Banking Committee confirmed which will not hold a vote in 2025 on the bill that defines the structure of the cryptocurrency market. The decision pushes the debate to early 2026 and leaves undefined the federal rules that should guide exchanges, brokers, and token issuers in the country.
The postponement comes after bipartisan negotiations that extended throughout the second half of the year. According to the committee, the shortened legislative calendar due to the approaching end-of-year recess made it impossible to analyze and vote on the text before the conclusion of Congress's activities. Therefore, the matter will be left for the next legislative session.
The proposal under discussion is considered central to the cryptocurrency sector in the US, as it seeks to clarify how the division of responsibilities will be made between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Currently, the absence of a specific legal framework generates disputes over the interpretation of the supervision of spot markets and tokens classified as securities.
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Sources close to the discussions indicate that an updated version of the bipartisan text had been under development for almost two months. The market expected this draft to be released before the recess, offering more transparency about the direction intended by lawmakers. To date, however, there has been no official confirmation of the document's publication in 2025.
In addition to the Banking Committee, the Senate Agriculture Committee, which also plays a relevant role in the crypto agenda, has not scheduled hearings to discuss its own proposal related to market structure. This lack of alignment between the two committees reduces the chances of rapid progress and reinforces the perception that the legislative process will be slower than initially anticipated.
The delay confirms that no comprehensive legislation on the structure of the cryptocurrency market will be finalized this year, despite the bipartisan effort seen in recent months. For companies operating in the United States, the uncertainty prolongs the need to deal with fragmented regulatory interpretations while awaiting clearer federal guidelines.
The expectation is that, after the congressional recess, the committees will resume hearings and move forward with new discussions in early 2026. If bipartisan support is maintained, next year could mark a more decisive phase in defining the regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies in the US market.
