Six major blockchain organizations submitted a joint letter to the SEC on October 20, 2026, requesting formal classification of digital commodities as non-securities within its proposed Regulation Crypto Assets framework.
The signatories are Chainlink Labs, Cardano Foundation, Hedera, Aptos Labs, Ava Labs, and Stellar Development Foundation. The letter responds to the SEC’s August 2026 proposal, which introduced a new regulatory framework for crypto assets but did not explicitly codify the agency’s existing distinction between digital commodities and securities.
The organizations argue that the absence of formal language creates legal uncertainty for developers and market participants. The SEC’s current interpretation recognizes digital commodities as a separate category, but the proposed rules leave that recognition implicit rather than explicit. This ambiguity, the groups contend, hampers compliance efforts across the industry.
The letter also seeks clarity on how securities laws apply to secondary-market transactions involving digital assets, staking, and other decentralized blockchain network activities. These areas remain contested terrain in crypto regulation, with no clear regulatory safe harbors established.
The SEC opened a 60-day public comment period for the proposed framework. As of the letter’s submission, the agency had received 140 public comments. Industry participants and legal scholars offered competing views on proposed exemptions for crypto offerings and conditional safe harbors for certain tokens during the comment period.
The SEC has not yet responded to the letter or indicated a timeline for incorporating stakeholder feedback into final rules.
