Regulation

The US Treasury Department added newly seized Bitcoin from criminal proceedings to the Strategic Bitcoin Reserve in February 2026.

The US Treasury's OFAC designated Zedcex Exchange Ltd and Zedxion Exchange Ltd on January 30, 2026, marking the first-ever sanctions action against a crypto exchange.

Kraken Financial became the first digital asset bank to receive a Federal Reserve master account from the Kansas City Fed, granting direct access to Fedwire.

Texas launched its state cryptocurrency reserve in December 2025 with a $5 million initial Bitcoin purchase, becoming the first US state to fund such a reserve.

REX-Osprey launched the first US-listed spot ETFs for Dogecoin and XRP in December 2025, accelerating institutional access to alternative cryptocurrencies.

Multiple spot Solana ETFs launched in late November 2025, marking the first non-Bitcoin/Ethereum spot crypto ETFs in the U.S.

President Trump pardoned Changpeng Zhao on October 23, 2025, more than a year after his release from a four-month federal sentence for Bank Secrecy Act violations.

Trump signed the GENIUS Act into law on July 19, 2025, establishing the first federal stablecoin regulatory framework.

Under Chair Paul Atkins and Crypto Task Force head Hester Peirce, the Securities and Exchange Commission dropped or settled numerous enforcement actions from the prior administration by mid-2025.

The Senate confirmed Paul Atkins as SEC Chair on April 9, 2025, in a 52-44 party-line vote, replacing acting chair Mark Uyeda and signaling a potential shift in the agency's crypto enforcement posture.

Ripple and the SEC reached a final settlement in March 2025, ending four years of litigation with Ripple paying $125 million and SEC dropping its appeal of earlier favorable rulings.

Trump created Strategic Bitcoin Reserve capitalized with 200,000 BTC held by U.S. Treasury

Alex Mashinsky, founder of crypto lender Celsius, was convicted on commodities and wire fraud charges after a trial in federal court.

Trump signed executive order establishing digital asset framework and appointed venture capitalist David Sacks as special advisor for crypto

Trump granted full pardon to Ross Ulbricht one day after inauguration, ending decade-long imprisonment

SEC Chair Gary Gensler resigned effective January 20, ending aggressive crypto enforcement era

FTX creditors began receiving distributions in early 2025 with expected recovery of 119% of claim values, though valuations were pegged to November 2022 petition date at significantly lower Bitcoin prices.

The European Union's Markets in Crypto-Assets regulation became fully enforceable on December 30, 2024, establishing the world's first comprehensive regulatory framework for cryptocurrency.

President-elect Trump has named Stephen Miran, a former Treasury adviser and vocal advocate for lighter crypto regulation, as his pick to lead the Council of Economic Advisers.

El Salvador amended its Bitcoin legal tender law in December 2024 as a condition for securing a $1.4 billion IMF loan, making merchant Bitcoin acceptance voluntary rather than mandatory.