Author |Aleks Gilbert,DL News
The past year has seen a revolution in US crypto policy.
In less than a year of his second term, President Donald Trump appointed industry-friendly regulators who ended investigations into crypto firms, made it easier for banks to hold crypto assets, and made it easier for asset managers to launch crypto-related ETFs.
Driven by Trump, lawmakers passed landmark stablecoin legislation and made significant progress on market structure legislation.
With these victories now fait accompli, it's natural to wonder if 2026 will still be a significant year for crypto policy.
The short answer is: yes.
So, without further ado, here are some key dates for US crypto policy in 2026.
January
January is set to be an event-packed month.
First, White House crypto advisor David Sacks said the Senate is expected to hold hearings on the market structure bill in January.
Sacks wrote on X in December: "We are closer than ever to passing the landmark crypto market structure legislation called for by President Trump. We look forward to finishing the job in January!"
These hearings are expected to move the bill out of its stalled state in the Senate, after the "Clarity Act" version passed the House in July but stalled in the Senate.
The market structure legislation, once thought likely to pass in 2025, could transform the US crypto industry.
It would end the regulatory turf war between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
During the Biden administration, both agencies tried to claim jurisdiction over crypto markets.
"If the market structure legislation passes in early 2026, the focus will shift to implementation," Blockchain Association CEO Summer Mersinger told DL News.
"We expect clear and enforceable rules from the SEC and CFTC, maintain ongoing inter-agency coordination, and make targeted fixes in areas like tax clarity to ensure the US continues to be a thriving hub for crypto innovation."
January is not expected to see only this one development.
SEC Chairman Paul Atkins wants to create an "innovation exemption" that would allow entrepreneurs to "enter the market immediately with new technologies and new business models" under certain conditions without complying with regulatory requirements that are "not fit for purpose or overly burdensome."
Atkins said on December 2 that this innovation exemption is expected to be announced within a month. This means it could be issued at any time.
May 15
Jerome Powell's term as Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board ends on May 15.
Trump has criticized Powell for refusing to cut interest rates more aggressively. The president is likely to appoint a more "compliant" successor.
The Federal Reserve sets US monetary policy. High interest rates increase borrowing costs, which dampens riskier assets, including cryptocurrencies.
A more dovish (accommodative) monetary policy could boost crypto markets — but it could also reignite inflation, the very issue that helped propel Trump back to the White House.
With "affordability" becoming the new watchword in American politics, Trump's pick for the new Fed chair will not only affect crypto prices in 2026, but could also affect the 2028 presidential campaign.
Longtime Trump ally Kevin Hassett is currently seen as the frontrunner for the position, with a 47% probability of nomination according to predictions.
July 1
New crypto regulations will take effect in California on July 1, 2026.
The state's Digital Financial Assets Law requires any entity engaged in "digital financial asset business activity" with a California resident to obtain a license from the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, with certain exemptions.
California is home to many crypto entrepreneurs, and what happens in California often has an outsized influence on the entire US tech sector.
July 18
Passing a bill gets all the headlines, but the real battle begins when the regulatory agencies tasked with enforcing the law begin interpreting the new legislation.
The Genius Act requires federal and state regulators to issue additional rules covering issuer licensing, capital requirements, custody standards, anti-money laundering provisions, and more.
The deadline for publishing these additional rules is July 18, 2026.
"Market participants will have significant opportunities to engage in policy advocacy work and the rulemaking process," law firm Gibson Dunn wrote in July.
This process has already become contentious. The banking industry is asking regulators to close a "loophole" that allows stablecoin issuers to offer yield products, which banks fear could erode their deposit base.
The crypto industry is fighting back. In a letter to senators last week, the Blockchain Association said the proposals risk undermining "carefully negotiated compromises, reducing consumer choice, stifling competition, and injecting uncertainty into the implementation of the new law."
August
By the end of August, we can expect two developments: the submission of crypto tax legislation, and the finalization of CFTC rules related to the application of blockchain technology in capital markets.
"Beyond market structure, crypto tax policy remains a top priority," Mersinger said, specifically mentioning recent work by lawmaker Mike Carey with the Treasury Department to address tax issues related to crypto staking.
On December 20, Republican Congressman Max Miller from Ohio submitted a draft bill called the "Parity Act". The bill aims to establish a de minimis tax exemption threshold for stablecoins.
That is, for example, spending $5 on a latte would not trigger a taxable event. The bill also seeks to prevent crypto lending from being treated as a taxable "sale of an asset". There are more provisions.
Speaking at the Blockchain Association policy summit in December, Miller said he believes Congress有望 "by next year August" pass some version of the bill.
In August 2025, then-CFTC Chair Caroline Pham announced a 12-month "crypto sprint initiative" focused on spot crypto trading, allowing the use of tokenized collateral in derivatives markets, and adjusting regulations to support the application of blockchain in US markets.
Pham has already made progress on the first two tasks and expects the final task to be completed by August 2026.
November 3
The United States will hold midterm elections on November 3, and these elections could completely alter the landscape for US crypto policy.
The president has significant power, but he is not a "king" — the crypto industry's victories in 2025 were largely due to Republicans holding slim majorities in both houses of Congress.
If this changes in 2026, the crypto industry's "golden age" in Washington could end.
Democrats have indeed become more friendly to the crypto industry. In 2025, the House market structure bill received more Democratic votes than in 2024, a change that had excited many crypto lobbyists.
But a majority of Democratic lawmakers remain wary of the industry with its strong libertarian leanings.
If Democrats regain control of one or both houses of Congress, the likelihood of passing any crypto legislation will be significantly reduced.
Fireblocks Policy Director Sea Markova recently said that if the market structure legislation passes too close to the midterm elections, the risk of the bill "stalling overall increases significantly."
