SEC-CFTC Roundtable Puts Crypto at Adults’ Table: Kraken, Crypto.com Break Bread with TradFi Titans

Regulatory heavyweights finally pull up chairs for crypto's biggest players—and the industry just got its legitimacy stamp.

Wall Street Meets Crypto Alley

Forget backroom deals—this was a public display of crypto coming of age. When SEC and CFTC officials share microphones with Kraken and Crypto.com executives, the message echoes louder than any Bitcoin rally: digital assets aren't going anywhere.

TradFi's Reluctant Handshake

Traditional finance giants watched from adjacent seats as crypto natives laid out regulatory frameworks that actually make sense for decentralized tech. The irony? Banks spent years dismissing blockchain while quietly building their own—classic 'if you can't beat 'em, pretend you invented 'em' strategy.

The New Regulatory Dance

No more shouting across courtrooms. This roundtable forced real dialogue about everything from custody solutions to cross-border compliance. Agencies known for enforcement actions suddenly asked constructive questions—a tectonic shift for institutions that usually move at geological speeds.

Legitimacy Has Its Price

With great regulatory recognition comes great compliance burden. But crypto companies proved they're ready to play by mainstream rules—provided those rules acknowledge the tech's fundamental differences from legacy systems. Because fitting decentralized finance into centralized boxes? That's like trying to store Bitcoin in a safety deposit box.

Worlds Collide As Crypto And Wall Street Jointly Discuss Regulations

Firstly, SEC Chair Paul Atkins will deliver the opening remarks, along with Acting CFTC Chair Caroline Pham and SEC Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw.

Meanwhile, the first panel, led by former CFTC Chair J Christopher Giancarlo, will look at the history of collaborations between the SEC and the CFTC, with insights from industry experts representing SIFMA, Interactive Brokers and ISDA.

Following that, the second panel, likely the one that observers will watch most closely, will dive into platform oversight. Former CFTC Commissioner Jill Sommers and the SEC’s Jamie Selway will moderate this panel.

Further, it will feature a mix of voices from traditional finance and the crypto space. Speakers include Kraken’s Arjun Sethi, Polymarket’s Shayne Coplan, Kalshi’s Tarek Mansour, Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman, CME Group’s Terrence Duffy and ICE Chair Jeffery Sprecher.

The final panel discussion will feature Nick Lundgren from Crypto.com, Stephen Berger from Citadel, Ryan Louvar from WisdomTree, JB Mackenzie from Robinhood, Dave Olsen from Jump Trading and representatives from Bank of America and J.P. Morgan. Giancarlo and former SEC Commissioner Troy Paredes will moderate the panel.

NEW: The @SECGov has announced the agenda and panelists for its joint roundtable with the @CFTC on Monday.

What jumps out is Panel 2 on platforms: TradFi exchange giants Jeff Sprecher (NYSE/ICE), Terry Duffy (CME) and Adena Friedman (NASDAQ) sharing a table with leaders from… pic.twitter.com/C5JDJ5zWIR

— Eleanor Terrett (@EleanorTerrett) September 24, 2025

According to Eleanor Terrett, an analyst at Bloomberg, the presence of both crypto founders and legacy exchange leaders signals a major shift such that digital asset platforms are now part of the same regulatory conversations as Wall Street’s biggest players.

To wrap up, closing remarks from SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce will conclude the event.

SEC Roundtable Series Puts Crypto Regulations Under A Microscope

The SEC is stepping up its efforts to regulate crypto through a series of public roundtables led by its new Crypto Task Force.

The roundtable sessions, branded as the “Spring Sprint Towards Crypto Clarity,” are designed to understand and address key issues in digital asset oversight.

The series began with the first roundtable on 21 March 2025 in Washington, DC and focused on the legal status of crypto assets. While the organisers livestreamed the panel, regulators and industry insiders held private breakout sessions to discuss more openly.

SEC Crypto Task Force Roundtable — March 21

The SEC's Crypto Task Force will host roundtables to discuss regulating crypto assets. The "Spring Sprint Toward Crypto Clarity" series begins March 21 with its first roundtable. pic.twitter.com/9k5Jq8Zwm0

— invΞst00®(@investinbit) March 21, 2025

Further, on 11 April 2025, the second session shifted the spotlight to trading rules. Executives from Uniswap Labs, Cumberland DRW and Coinbase joined the conversation along with representatives from the New York Stock Exchange and UC Berkeley.

Then, about two weeks later, on 24 April 2025, discussions shifted towards custody. SEC Chair Atkins opened the session titled “Know Your Custodian,” which featured Commissioners Peirce, Uyeda, and Crenshaw.

During the discussion, Pierce noted that custody remains one of the toughest challenges as crypto becomes more integrated with traditional finance.

Key Takeaways

• SEC and CFTC aim to align crypto rules through joint roundtable discussions
• Panels feature leaders from Kraken, Crypto.com, Nasdaq, and major financial institutions
• This meeting will focus on regulatory harmonisation from 1 PM to 5:30 PM ET and will stream live