Solana Policy Institute urges CFTC review of blockchain rules

The group formally asked the U.S. derivatives regulator to clarify wallet, timing and recordkeeping rules it says are poorly matched to round-the-clock blockchain markets.

SOL

Summary

Solana Policy Institute submitted a formal letter to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission on July 9 in response to the agency's request for information on rules that may unnecessarily burden fintech and blockchain firms. Signed by CEO Miller Whitehouse-Levine and General Counsel Patrick Wilson, the filing asks the CFTC to use existing administrative tools to address three areas: clarifying that non-custodial wallet and front-end software should not by itself trigger introducing broker registration, allowing UTC-based or calendar-time compliance standards where business-hours rules do not fit always-on on-chain markets, and recognizing on-chain records as sufficient for certain reporting, recordkeeping and audit-trail obligations when they meet regulatory standards. The letter cites the CFTC's March 2026 no-action letter to Phantom Technologies and December 2025 tokenized collateral guidance, and argues the agency can act through interpretive guidance, no-action relief or Section 4(c) exemptive authority without waiting for Congress. The move reflects a broader industry effort to adapt U.S. derivatives oversight to blockchain networks that operate continuously and record activity directly on public ledgers.

Terms & Concepts
  • introducing broker: A firm that solicits or accepts customer orders for referral to a futures commission merchant and must register with the CFTC.
  • non-custodial wallet: Wallet software that lets users control their own assets rather than placing them with a third-party custodian.
  • Section 4(c) exemptive authority: A power under the Commodity Exchange Act that allows the CFTC to grant exemptions in certain cases without changing the statute.