- The CFTC updated its FAQs on crypto assets and blockchain technology to address two areas: tokenized customer fund investments and blockchain-based recordkeeping
- Commodities firms can now invest customer funds in tokenized forms of already-approved investments, rather than only their traditional equivalents
- Registrants can also use blockchain technology to satisfy their recordkeeping obligations, rather than relying solely on conventional record systems
The Commodity Futures Trading Commission updated its frequently asked questions covering crypto assets and blockchain technology, opening the door for commodities firms to invest customer funds in tokenized assets and to use blockchain records to meet recordkeeping obligations, according to the agency’s press release. The update came from the CFTC’s Market Participants Division, Division of Market Oversight, and Division of Clearing and Risk working jointly, and addresses two distinct questions that had left registrants without clear guidance.
The first change permits customer fund investments in tokenized forms of investments the CFTC has already approved in their traditional form, meaning a firm does not need separate case-by-case approval simply because the underlying asset is represented as a token rather than held in its conventional form. This extends existing approval decisions to tokenized equivalents rather than treating tokenization itself as a reason for fresh regulatory review.
The second change allows blockchain technology to fulfill registrant recordkeeping obligations, giving firms a regulator-sanctioned path to use distributed ledger records instead of, or alongside, traditional recordkeeping systems. For firms already operating on blockchain rails for other parts of their business, this removes a requirement to maintain a fully separate, conventional recordkeeping system purely for compliance purposes.
“I’m pleased to see staff update these frequently asked questions consistent with the agency’s ongoing efforts to provide regulatory clarity for the crypto industry,” said CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig. The update continues a pattern from Selig’s CFTC of using FAQ updates and staff guidance to clarify how existing rules apply to crypto and tokenized assets, rather than waiting for new formal rulemaking on every individual question.
The change lands at a moment when tokenized real-world assets have grown substantially in 2026, giving commodities firms and their customers a regulator-confirmed basis for treating tokenized investment products the same way as their traditional counterparts for fund-investment purposes. Because the update takes the form of FAQ guidance rather than a formal rule, it reflects the CFTC staff’s current interpretation of existing authority rather than a new binding regulation subject to a public comment process.
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