In February, the Ministry of Government Effectiveness (DOGE) began to request the contribution of the public relating to the American Securities and Exchange (SEC) commission – a decision suggesting a reform to the agency is imminent.
Since then, the SEC, in accordance with President Trump, has adopted a much less contradictory position towards the cryptocurrency industry, as evidenced by the appointment of friendly cryptos and the abandonment of numerous prosecutions and surveys on cryptographic societies. But DOGE has the potential to implement new changes, and the interest in the SEC signals increasing pressure to regulators to reassess their approach to digital assets.
In response to the public’s request for contribution, Paul Grewal, Coinbase Legal Director – one of the companies no longer faced a legal legal action – proposed a policy forcing the dry to reimburse legal costs for companies that successfully challenge the implementing efforts. The motivation of his suggestion is obvious, but the impact of Doge on the crypto will probably be a little wider.
As Joel Khalili summed up in CableThe recent PRO retreat of prosecution represents “an early signal of the agency’s intention to work in ARM in ARM with the industry to find a set of rules to govern transactions and cryptographic products.”
In the current state of things, the lack of proactive dry directives makes it difficult for companies to plan long -term compliance strategies, and their application measures often come after years of operation, leaving companies and their investors exposed to unforeseen legal risks. In the future, it will probably change.
Clear conformity on the reactive application
Based on the application instead of proactive guidelines has forced companies like Coinbase, Ripple and Celsius to spend millions of disputes to clarify their regulatory position. But in one case against Debt Box, the SEC admitted to having inaccuracies in its declarations, which led a court to order the dry to cover the legal expenses of the company – an overview of the suggestion of Coinbase. The decision questioned the agency’s credibility and highlighted the concerns about its application practices.
In the future, expect to see the regulatory organizations – including the SEC – under increased pressure to align with the approach of the American Treasury, which prioritizes clear compliance routes on the reactive application. The guidelines on the digital assets of the Treasury are much more structured and deal with key areas such as tax reports, compliance and LMA measures. The standardized definitions of what constitutes security in cryptographic space are essential to help companies structure their products appropriately from the start.
A balancing act
In addition to taking notes from the treasure, the dry can also turn to IRS to inspire. A “harbor” provision for projects at an early stage could encourage innovation while guaranteeing compliance over time, similar to the proposals discussed previously by the SEC Commissioner, Hester Peirce. The IRS has already adopted this approach, issuing a temporary transition reduction for cryptographic taxpayers in January 2025.
The IRS has historically supported voluntary disclosure programs to comply with taxpayers rather than punitive actions in advance. A similar model must also be applied to the regulation of cryptography.
While some people assume that the regulations intrinsically hamper innovation, the reverse may be true. Indeed, clearly defined railings will encourage entities more opposed to the risk to enter the ecosystem and help it grow. A light regulatory key need Application of robust backend and can cause unnecessary friction between regulators and businesses.
Overall, better coordination between the SEC, the Treasury and the IRS would help prevent regulatory conflicts and rationalize compliance obligations for digital asset companies and stakeholders. The guidelines on the digital assets of the Treasury already offer a solid base for this type of cross alignment. Current regulatory uncertainty and the reactive application approach to the dry are suffocating growth, while a clearer and more coordinated framework would benefit the entire ecosystem.
The bottom line
Between the request for contribution from the DOGE, the broader commitment of the new administration towards the reform of digital assets and the Coinbase proposal, the scene is ready for reforms aimed at making regulatory surveillance more foreseeable. Although we are in the early stages of the new administration, changes are already occurring at an amazing pace. It is clear that DOGE’s influence on sec policies will have an impact – in particular with public discourse on these questions further strengthening the arguments for clearer directives rather than on application regulations.
Of course, it should be noted that Doge’s plans for the SEC probably extend beyond the crypto, just as the efforts to regulate the industry extend beyond the dry. In the end, it would be advantageous for the new administration, in conjunction with Congress, to create a legislative framework for industry, so that companies and individual taxpayers include what constitutes goods, security and digital assets. In other words, we have to learn to walk before running. In the meantime, the SEC should adopt a strategy that can promote growth while maintaining investor protections.
