Six major blockchain organizations, including Chainlink Labs, Cardano Foundation, Hedera, Aptos Labs, Ava Labs and Stellar Development Foundation, urged the SEC in a joint letter dated Oct. 20 to formally classify digital commodities as non-securities. They argued that interpretive guidance alone leaves legal uncertainty, and that this classification should be written directly into the proposed Regulation Crypto Assets framework. The letter also asks for clarity on how securities laws apply to secondary-market transactions, as well as on staking and other activities tied to decentralized blockchain networks. The SEC's proposal, introduced in August, drew roughly 140 public comments over 60 days, and the consultation closed on Tuesday.
Summary written by Upside AI from the original article. Read the source for full details.
Read the original on Cointelegraph ↗
Keywords
Open a keyword to see other news on the same topic.
Related tickers and likely impact
ADA/USDT
▲ Likely positiveCardano
Relevance: low
| Market | Crypto |
|---|---|
| Exchange | Binance |
| Sector | Layer 1 |
| Market cap | $8.3B |
| Close on 10/20/2026 | 0.22400 |
| Change that session | +2.71% |
LINK/USDT
▲ Likely positiveChainlink
Relevance: low
| Market | Crypto |
|---|---|
| Exchange | Binance |
| Sector | Oracles |
| Market cap | $9.2B |
| Close on 10/20/2026 | 12.3320 |
| Change that session | +2.26% |
Impact is scored by AI from the headline and may be wrong. It is not investment advice.
Related news
- Why centralized exchanges refuse to list legacy crypto tokens without explicit SEC immunity
Vault12, a crypto wallet backup firm backed by Winklevoss Capital and Naval Ravikant, warned in a comment letter to the SEC that the proposed token safe harbor under Regulation Crypto Assets may leave exchanges reluctant to list tokens because of the risk of a later regulatory challenge. The company raised $17.45 million from 38 investors in 2018 through agreements for future tokens, and says it has fulfilled or abandoned every white paper commitment, yet VGT has never traded on a centralized exchange. Vault12 proposes a 60-day window for SEC objections, after which a properly filed certification would become conclusive, except in cases such as fraud or material misstatements.
- Bitwise, Hyperliquid seek SEC rule changes for token trading, airdrops
Bitwise Asset Management and the Hyperliquid Policy Center are urging the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to revise its proposed crypto rules, seeking clearer guidance on how crypto assets are classified, how airdrops are treated, and how secondary-market trading works, as the public comment period closes. Bitwise wants a standard based on publicly available information to determine whether an asset falls under securities laws, along with clear rules on relying on issuers' Form TR filings. Hyperliquid asks the SEC to broaden its proposed safe harbor, protect airdrops that reward network participation, and clarify whether unregistered intermediaries or onchain protocols can facilitate token trading. In contrast, former SEC enforcement official John Reed Stark and scholar Lee Reiners urge withdrawing the proposal, arguing it exceeds the agency's statutory authority, weakens investor protections and could face immediate legal challenge. The SEC has not announced a timetable for a final decision.
- Microsoft, Alphabet, Goldman Sachs Join Growing List of Companies Objecting to Tokenized Stocks
Seven more companies, including Microsoft, Alphabet, Goldman Sachs, Qualcomm, Caterpillar, McDonald's and Western Digital, have objected to their shares trading on OKXICE TSV, according to an updated notice dated Oct. 19. The total number of objecting issuers is now 16, up from nine in the Oct. 15 notice, and neither notice gives reasons. OKXICE TSV is a planned tokenized stock venue from OKX and Intercontinental Exchange, set to run 24/7 on Uniswap v4 pools on XLayer and settle trades in USDC and USDT. The updated notice also allows tokenized shares from the issuers themselves, not only third parties, and the venue will operate under the SEC's innovation exemption without being subject to Regulation NMS.
- OKX-ICE’s Andrew Cuomo calls issuer objections a ‘natural response’ to tokenized stock plans
OKX-ICE co-chair Andrew Cuomo called companies' objections to tokenized stock trading a “very natural response,” saying many firms would wait and see before participating. Sixteen companies have objected to having tokenized versions of their shares traded on the planned OKX-ICE venue, with seven newly disclosed objectors including Microsoft, Alphabet, Goldman Sachs, Qualcomm, Caterpillar, McDonald’s and Western Digital. The SEC's five-year “Innovation Exemption” allows limited trading tests with caps on the number of stocks and volume, while letting issuers decide whether to participate. Securitize and Vertalo executives said issuers need answers on pricing, investor protections, custody and shareholder rights, and that today's objections could later turn into acceptance as the infrastructure develops.
- Market participants weigh in on SEC’s proposed crypto regulations
The SEC will close public comment on its “Regulation Crypto Assets” proposal, first introduced in August, on Tuesday. Over the 60-day period, the agency received about 140 comments on a proposed safe harbor that would keep token issuers from being treated as investment contracts, along with exemptions for offerings up to a set amount. The MiCA Crypto Alliance largely supported the proposed disclosure changes but asked the SEC to better define crypto-specific concepts and data structures. SkyBridge Capital founder Anthony Scaramucci also backed the rules, calling them a return to the Commission’s proper role, though he did not mention Congress’s inaction on the CLARITY Act. Some legal experts warn the rules could be overturned more easily than an act of Congress, and both the SEC and the CFTC remain understaffed at the leadership level.
- SEC tokenized stock framework faces issuer pushback as Broadcom, Verizon object to OKX-ICE listing
Nine issuers, including Broadcom, Verizon and UnitedHealth, have objected to having their shares traded on OKXICE's planned tokenized-stock platform, according to an October 15 notice. The venue would offer around-the-clock trading under the SEC's temporary Innovation Exemption, with tokens backed one-for-one by underlying shares. Nasdaq has said it will opt out of the framework because the venue does not display best prices in real time or report to the consolidated tape. TD Securities analysts found that reliance on temporary exemptive relief rather than permanent rules has made issuers and institutions reluctant to invest in the trading infrastructure.
Related markets
Latest news
- First Private Bank to Exceed VND 200,000 Billion in Owners' Equity
VPBank has become the first private bank to surpass VND 200,000 billion in owners' equity, reaching VND 200,078 billion in its Q3/2026 financial report, up VND 8,863 billion in the quarter alone and nearly VND 19,800 billion since the start of the year. Vietcombank passed this level first in the system in 2025, VietinBank reached VND 200,214 billion as of June 30, 2026, and Techcombank stood at VND 197,325 billion at the end of Q3. The growth of the two private banks comes mainly from retained profits: in the first nine months of 2026, VPBank's pre-tax profit was nearly VND 30,000 billion, up about 47%, while Techcombank's reached VND 28,915 billion, up 23.7%. The article notes that charter capital makes up only about 36% and 40% of owners' equity at Techcombank and VPBank, and that stock dividends do not increase owners' equity.
- Industry Profits Plunge and Investors Lose Money, Yet Securities Firms Earn Heavily From Lending
Industry-wide profit for securities firms in Q3/2026 fell 42% year on year to about VND 11,000 billion, while average matched trading value on HoSE dropped to VND 13,000-14,000 billion per session, less than half of last year's level. In contrast, interest income from lending and receivables across the industry reached a record VND 12,300 billion, up 34% year on year and rising for 11 consecutive quarters. The main drivers were margin lending outstanding of VND 455,000 billion, of which VND 440,000 billion was margin, the highest ever, along with high interest rates. The article notes that this is gross income rather than net income, since firms still bear funding costs for the lending business, and that gains are uneven, with firms backed by banks such as TCBS, VPBankS and ACBS leading.
- Stock Market Midday, Oct. 21: Tech Gains Lift Nasdaq as SpaceX Soars
As of 11:41 AM ET, the Nasdaq Composite rose 1.09% to 26,717 on renewed optimism around AI, while the S&P 500 gained 0.52% to 7,752 as tech gains offset telecom weakness. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 0.29% to 52,647 on positive corporate reports. Gold was up 0.18% at $4,132.42, and the 10-Year Treasury yield slipped to 5.11%. SpaceX surged over 10% after its quarterly results boosted AI sentiment, lifting Dell Technologies, which rose 6% in early trading.
- Palantir Rises 4% as Software Stocks Rally; ServiceNow Gains 3%, Salesforce Holds Flat
Palantir shares rose 4% to $199.41 in afternoon trading, leading a broad software rally as buyers favored AI platform names. The iShares Expanded Tech-Software ETF gained 2% to $108.98 and the Invesco QQQ Trust rose 1.3% to $726.83, while ServiceNow climbed 3% to $153.33 and Salesforce slipped 0.2% to $242.07. On October 19, Knox Systems announced a partnership with Palantir to bring commercial software into the federal government's most tightly secured cloud environments, but neither company disclosed financial terms, and the article says it is unclear whether this news is behind the stock's gain. The article also points to Palantir's steep valuation as a source of doubt about the rally's staying power, and says the third-quarter 2026 report will test whether its government growth holds up.
- Circle Internet Jumps 6% as OCC Finalizes GENIUS Act Stablecoin Rules; Strategy Surges 8%, Coinbase Climbs 5%
Circle Internet rose 6% to $90.65 after the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) finalized its GENIUS Act rules for stablecoin issuers, which take effect next January. Strategy climbed 8% to $154.41 and Coinbase rose 5% to $178.86, while the iShares Bitcoin Trust ETF gained 3%. Circle's Q2 2026 revenue rose 6.6% to $701.3 million and average USDC in circulation climbed 25% to $76.5 billion, though its reserve return rate slipped to 3.5%. Coinbase remains down 21% year to date, while Circle is up 14%.
- Apple vs. SK hynix: Which Tech Stock Is a Better Buy in 2026?
The article compares Apple (AAPL) and SK Hynix (SKHY). Apple sells consumer hardware such as the iPhone and Mac alongside a high-margin Services segment, while SK Hynix makes DRAM and NAND memory chips for data centers and AI processing in a cyclical market. On a trailing-12-month basis through Q2 2026, Apple reported revenue of $466 billion, up about 14%, net income of roughly $129 billion, free cash flow of nearly $137 billion, and a debt-to-equity ratio near 0.8x. SK Hynix reported TTM revenue of about $129 billion, more than double the prior-year period, net income of nearly $109 billion, free cash flow of about $60 billion, and a debt-to-equity ratio around 0.1x. The article says SK Hynix looks much cheaper but carries greater cyclical risk, and the author says he would rather buy Apple heading into 2027, noting Apple trades at 35 times forward earnings estimates.
Get the briefing on Telegram or Zalo
Join the Upside Telegram channel or Zalo group for the Vietnam stocks and gold briefing at 8:00 and 19:00 (Vietnam time) on trading days, plus a weekly wrap on Saturday morning.