SEC’s Crypto Task Force to Debate ‘Security Status’ of Assets

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has planned a roundtable on March 21 to debate if digital assets ought to be categorized as securities. The session, named “How We Arrived and How We Escape — Defining Security Status,” will be the initial part of a series focused on developing crypto regulations.

SEC Organizes Series of Crypto Roundtables

On March 3, the SEC announced that it will be hosting a series of discussions—dubbed Spring Sprint Toward Crypto Clarity—at its Washington, D.C. headquarters. SEC plan is for SEC officials, legal experts, and industry leaders to meet and discuss some of the greatest central regulatory issues currently faced in the crypto industry.

According to Hester Peirce, leader of the Crypto Task Force, the public must be consulted to create official regulatory guidelines.

Peirce was also interested in obtaining public input on how to establish a practical regulatory regime for cryptocurrency.

The task force was formed in January 2025 by SEC Acting Chair Mark Uyeda as part of efforts under President Donald Trump to ease regulatory restrictions on crypto. The agency has already rolled back several enforcement cases, including its March 3 decision to drop its lawsuit against Kraken.

Task Force Leadership and Key Appointments

Alongside the roundtable announcement, the SEC revealed the 14-member team leading the Crypto Task Force. The group includes legal and policy professionals, with Michael Selig appointed as chief counsel.

Selig, previously a lawyer at Willkie Farr & Gallagher, advised crypto, NFT, and stablecoin firms and handled enforcement cases before the SEC and CFTC.

Former CFTC Chair Chris Giancarlo, known as “Crypto Dad,” commented on Selig’s appointment in a March 3 X post, stating he was “proud and excited for my protégé.”

Other appointments include Sumeera Younis, former policy counsel to Commissioner Peirce, as operations chief, and Landon Zinda, former policy director at Coin Center, as senior adviser.

Regulatory Shift Under Trump Administration

Since entering the White House, President Trump has been working to lessen the regulatory burden placed on the crypto industry. He has made one of his most central promises to try to make enforcement actions by the SEC less frequent and give clearer industry guidelines.

Additionally, the SEC withdrew its lawsuit against Kraken, which is part of this change in attitude toward crypto firms, away from taking more aggressive legal action.

Expected to be a critical discussion, it will be a roundtable on March 21 on whether digital assets qualify as securities. In fact, the SEC’s more sessions are yet to be planned under Spring Sprint Toward Crypto Clarity which marks the beginning of a clearer approach to crypto regulation in the U.S.