CFTC’s Quintenz Says Agency Will Write Crypto Rules if CLARITY Act Fails

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission plans to move ahead with its own crypto regulatory overhaul regardless of whether Congress passes digital-asset market structure legislation.

Cointelegraph reported on August 20 that CFTC Commissioner Brian Quintenz, in prepared remarks for the inaugural meeting of the agency’s Innovation Advisory Committee, said the regulator would pursue its own rulemaking if the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, or CLARITY Act, fails to pass Congress.

“If Democrats do not support a bipartisan bill and a fair bill does not reach the president’s desk, I will instruct CFTC staff to move quickly to propose new rules,” he said.

The CFTC has already begun a working-level review of crypto trading oversight. Quintenz said he had directed staff to examine ways to allow registered and unregistered firms to offer leveraged or margined crypto trading. The agency is also working on safeguards for blockchain developers.

The plan would use the CFTC’s existing authority to reshape oversight of the crypto market even if action on the CLARITY Act is delayed.

Consideration of the bill has effectively halted until the US Senate returns in September. The measure needs 60 votes to pass the Senate, then approval by the House of Representatives and the president’s signature.

Democratic lawmakers are demanding stronger ethics and conflict-of-interest provisions, citing crypto businesses and investments tied to the family of President Donald Trump.

The US Securities and Exchange Commission is also pursuing crypto rule changes separately from congressional legislation. The SEC on August 19 released a draft digital-asset regulatory framework that proposed a safe harbor for crypto companies meeting certain conditions, along with exemptions for some issuers.

Quintenz is currently the only Senate-confirmed commissioner on the five-member CFTC. He has led the agency’s main policy agenda since December 2025.