The proposal aims to bring clarity to an industry often navigating gray areas, while maintaining protections for developers and decentralized networks.
For investors and beginners, this draft could shape how cryptocurrencies, tokens, and blockchain projects operate in the U.S. in the years ahead.
Legal Clarity and Developer Protections
One of the draft’s standout features is Section 101, which focuses on ancillary assets. The text provides legal certainty by clarifying that staking rewards, airdrops, and other similar activities do not count as securities. Tokens issued before the enactment of the law are shielded from SEC enforcement actions and private lawsuits, as long as they are not fraudulent. This could ease fears for holders of older cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin or Ethereum, which have been at the center of past regulatory debates.
🚨NEW: The Senate Banking Committee’s latest market structure draft reflects stakeholder and lobbyist feedback.
Here are some standouts from the text:
1. Ancillary Assets (Section 101): This section aims to provide more legal clarity, exclude assets that are clearly… pic.twitter.com/ubK0f1UEF8
— Eleanor Terrett (@EleanorTerrett) September 5, 2025
Section 504 introduces a new exemption for decentralized physical infrastructure networks, or DePIN. These networks use blockchain to operate physical assets, such as sensors, energy grids, or telecommunications nodes, without centralized ownership. By exempting them from certain securities laws, the draft encourages innovation in areas where blockchain intersects with the physical world. Other sections, including self-custody protections, the DeFi exemption, and the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act, remain in place to safeguard software developers and decentralized projects. This reinforces a trend where regulators are acknowledging the importance of empowering creators while limiting liability risks.
Coordinating Regulators
Another key development is enhanced coordination between the SEC and CFTC. Sections 701 and 702 outline a Joint Advisory Committee to help the agencies make decisions on digital assets and resolve disputes. For investors, this could mean more predictable enforcement and clearer rules for emerging products like tokenized derivatives or decentralized exchanges. Real-world examples such as the Ether futures launched on the CME in 2021 highlight the need for joint oversight when multiple agencies have overlapping jurisdiction. Here is what the CEO of Chainlink said about this:
Great meeting today with @SenatorTimScott, Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, the group working on the critical new market structure bill going to the senate.
This new version of the market structure bill has many advantages over past versions, enabling our industry to… pic.twitter.com/n96QOPfUGF
— Sergey Nazarov (@SergeyNazarov) August 19, 2025
The Senate’s draft reflects a growing recognition that clear, fair, and innovation-friendly regulation is essential for the U.S. digital asset market to thrive. For both beginners and experienced investors, this could lower legal uncertainty and create opportunities to explore new blockchain-based products with confidence. While the draft still requires debate and revision, its focus on legal clarity, developer protections, and regulatory coordination offers a roadmap for a more predictable crypto ecosystem.
Disclaimer
The information discussed by Altcoin Buzz is not financial advice. This is for educational, entertainment, and informational purposes only. Any information or strategies presented are the thoughts and opinions of the writer/reviewers, and their risk tolerance may differ from yours. We are not responsible for any losses you may incur due to any investments directly or indirectly related to the information provided. Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are high-risk investments; therefore, please conduct your due diligence. Copyright Altcoin Buzz Pte Ltd.
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