US Lawmaker Introduces Legislation to Regulate Crypto Assets and Protect Investors

A U.S. congressman has introduced the Digital Asset Market Structure and Investor Protection Act. The legislation would “provide the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with authority over digital asset securities and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) with authority over digital assets.”

Digital Asset Market Structure and Investor Protection Act

U.S. Representative Don Beyer introduced the Digital Asset Market Structure and Investor Protection Act last week. The legislation would incorporate digital assets into existing financial regulatory structures, according to an announcement posted on his official website. The congressman said:

Digital assets and blockchain technology hold great promise, and it is clear that assets like bitcoin and ether are here to stay. Unfortunately, the current digital asset market structure and regulatory framework is ambiguous and dangerous for investors and consumers.

“Digital asset holders have been subjected to rampant fraud, theft, and market manipulation for years, yet Congress has hitherto ignored the entreaties of industry experts and federal regulators to create a comprehensive legal framework,” he described.

Specifically, the bill would “Create statutory definitions for digital assets and digital asset securities and provide the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) with authority over digital asset securities and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) with authority over digital assets.” It will also:

Provide legal certainty as to the regulatory status for the top 90% of the digital asset market (by market capitalization and trading volume) through a joint SEC/CFTC rulemaking.

In addition, the bill will “Require digital asset transactions that are not recorded on the publicly distributed ledger to be reported to a registered Digital Asset Trade Repository within 24 hours to minimize the potential for fraud and promote transparency.”

The Federal Reserve will have “explicit authority to issue a digital version of the U.S. dollar,” the bill further states, adding that the U.S. Treasury Secretary will have the “authority to permit or prohibit U.S. dollar and other fiat-based stablecoins.” The full bill can be seen here.