Coinbase, Uniswap and NYSE: towards a tailored crypto regulation?

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced a roundtable titled “Between a Block and a Hard Place: Tailoring Regulation for Crypto Trading”

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will host a roundtable titled “Between a Block and a Hard Place: Tailoring Regulation for Crypto Trading” on April 11, 2025, in Washington, D.C. Major figures from the crypto and traditional finance industries will convene to discuss the development of a regulatory framework tailored to crypto trading.

This initiative, led by Commissioner Hester M. Peirce, marks a shift in the SEC's approach to crypto regulation. It follows several investigations, including those aimed at Uniswap and Coinbase, which were dropped during the Trump administration.

Among the participants are Katherine Minarik, General Counsel of Uniswap Labs, and Gregory Tusar, Vice President of Institutional Products at Coinbase. Jon Herrick, Product Director of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), will also contribute his expertise.

This roundtable is part of a series of events organized by the SEC's Crypto Task Force to clarify crypto regulation. Discussions will focus on how to adapt existing regulations to the specifics of the cryptocurrency market.

In the short term, the repercussions could influence legislation on Decentralized Exchanges (DEXs), reporting obligations for crypto platforms, or even the custody requirements for digital assets.

This initiative reflects a broader trend of proactive regulation, similar to what the EU is already proposing with Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) or the UK with its recent legislative proposals.

For market observers, this roundtable could herald an era of more pragmatic regulation, based on a better understanding of crypto business models. It will also help gauge the degree of flexibility that the SEC is willing to demonstrate in the face of the rise of decentralized technologies.

The SEC roundtable thus represents a crucial step towards a regulation tailored to the specifics of the crypto market. If it paves the way for clear and balanced rules, it could transform the dynamics of the industry, promoting a balance between investor protection and innovation in the crypto ecosystem.