PANews reported on August 5th that the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is exploring how to allow some registered futures exchanges to list leveraged digital assets like Ethereum and Bitcoin. Acting Chairwoman Caroline Pham stated in a press release that "there is a clear and simple solution the CFTC can implement now," referencing a March opinion piece in which she suggested the agency could use its authority to exempt some companies from current rules limiting futures exchanges to listing only derivatives. The regulator has sought public comment on the listing of spot crypto asset contracts on CFTC-registered futures exchanges by August 18th.

The CFTC's move indicates it will not wait for Congress to pass legislation granting it direct regulatory authority over non-securities cryptocurrencies. While the House of Representatives passed the Cryptocurrency Market Structure Act in July, it still awaits Senate deliberation. This announcement is the first step in the CFTC's cryptocurrency sprint initiative, launched last week. It follows the release of a key policy document from an interagency task force overseen by the White House, which outlines a whole-of-government approach to regulating digital assets.