Cryptocurrency Market Structure Law in the US: Will 2026 Be the Decisive Year?

Source: PortaldoBitcoin Original Title: The Crypto Industry’s Battle for a Market Structure Law in the US Original Link: This year proved to be a surreal, decisive, and triumphant turning point for an industry that seemed to be on life support just two years ago. But many of the battles fought by the sector in the past 12 months are still not over.

In fact, some are just beginning to heat up: 2026 could end up being even more decisive for the crypto world, covering topics from regulation to market movements. Here is a preview of some key issues that experts say could define the next year for cryptocurrencies — and what the answers to them could mean for you.

The Market Structure Law

Let’s start with the question that has been keeping everyone in crypto policy awake for months: will the sector succeed in passing its much-desired market structure law next year or not?

Although crypto industry leaders have achieved more regulatory wins this year than almost anyone could have predicted, the crown jewel of their regulatory wishlist remains out of reach. A crypto market structure law would formally — and permanently — legalize the vast majority of token issuers and intermediaries in the United States, finally granting the sector the legitimacy it has been seeking for so long.

However, in recent months, a certain pessimism has taken hold of the crypto lobby in Washington regarding the chances of the bill’s approval. Several well-connected sources indicate that they feel — despite positive public signals — the legislation is too complex and touches on politically sensitive issues too much to be approved by the Senate before Congress essentially halts its work this spring, in anticipation of the 2026 midterm elections.

In an ironic twist, some of these public policy leaders believe that recent aggressively pro-crypto moves by regulators like the SEC and CFTC have drained the urgency of the battle for the market structure.

Change of Perspective

Increasingly, sector participants argue that, with all these favorable federal regulatory changes, there is less need to legislate immediately — or to pass a bill that isn’t perfect.

“Once we have a safe harbor for tokens, it’s game over for the market structure,” said a crypto policy leader, referring to an SEC exemption for crypto projects that is expected to be implemented in January.

Others now openly question whether a market structure law is really that crucial at this moment. A high insider from the sector called their colleagues’ obsession with passing the bill in 2026 a “market structure disarray syndrome.”

According to the source, regulators are achieving important victories for the sector that will be difficult to reverse under future administrations, and it’s worth taking the necessary time to get the market structure right — even if it takes a few years.

The Regulators’ Stance

Meanwhile, these regulators continue to rewrite the crypto sector’s set of rules at full speed, while arguing that they do not need to wait for Congress to act.

When asked whether the SEC needs any additional authority from a new crypto law to regulate the sector as it wishes, the agency’s chairman, Paul Atkins, appeared skeptical.

“We have quite broad exemption authority, and it’s good that Congress granted us that,” Atkins said, referring to the Securities Act of 1933 and the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which established the SEC during the New Deal.

“This gives us a very solid foundation,” Atkins affirmed.

Concerns About the Future

But other crypto policy insiders are worried. They say that if they fail to pass a market structure law in 2026, the sector will not only be exposed to future political volatility but also miss a crucial opportunity to attract millions of skeptical investors — who still see the sector as illegitimate.

“I can’t emphasize enough how important I think this is,” said a senior crypto policy leader about passing the market structure legislation in 2026 — a goal he still considers highly achievable.

The leader highlighted how much the bill could change the current “general public perception” that the crypto market is a dark casino.

“Can the current administration do a lot to alleviate these issues? Yes, it can,” he said. “But can it do as good a job as a law? Absolutely not.”