The chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission said Thursday that former President Donald Trump is expected to sign a crypto market structure bill in the near future, a move that could finally give digital asset firms a clear federal rulebook and spur growth in the U.S. market.
What the SEC chair actually said
Speaking at a conference in Washington, the SEC chair stated that President Trump is likely to sign the bill soon, describing the legislation as a vehicle for regulatory clarity that would boost U.S. crypto market growth. The chair did not give an exact date, but the remark is the most direct confirmation yet from a top regulator that the bill is headed to the White House.
The bill — formally called the Digital Asset Market Structure Act — has been working its way through Congress for months. If signed, it would hand the Commodity Futures Trading Commission primary oversight of most digital assets and define when a token is a commodity versus a security.
The SEC has been under pressure from both industry and lawmakers to draw clearer lines. Enforcement actions and conflicting guidance have left companies unsure which rules apply. The chair's statement suggests the administration is ready to end that uncertainty.
Trump's expected signature would mark a major win for crypto lobbying groups that have pushed for the bill since early 2025. It would also shift power away from the SEC's enforcement-heavy approach toward a more structured registration framework.
What comes next
The timeline is still fuzzy. The SEC chair said "soon," but didn't specify whether that means days or weeks. What's clear is that the bill has cleared the final legislative hurdles — the House passed it 72-28 last week, and the Senate followed with a 58-42 vote on Tuesday.
Once Trump signs it, the CFTC will have 180 days to write implementing rules. Exchanges and token issuers will then get a one-year grace period to come into compliance. That clock starts ticking the moment the pen hits the paper.
For now, the industry is watching the White House schedule. A signing ceremony could come as early as next week.
