Ripple CEO Says Crypto Rules Near After CFTC Meeting

• Garlinghouse says US crypto rules are closer after the CFTC advisory committee meeting.
• The SEC and CFTC have issued guidance, but Congress must provide lasting legal clarity.
• The CLARITY Act faces a crucial 60-vote Senate cloture test on September 15.

Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse said the United States is closer than ever to establishing clear cryptocurrency rules after attending a major policy meeting in Washington. His comments followed the inaugural CFTC Innovation Advisory Committee gathering, where crypto and traditional finance leaders agreed that existing financial rules no longer fit the digital asset industry.

CFTC Meeting Brings Crypto and Wall Street Together

Garlinghouse, in a post on X, described the CFTC Innovation Advisory Committee as an “Olympic roster” of crypto leaders following its inaugural meeting on August 20. The committee includes executives from Coinbase, Uniswap Labs, Nasdaq, CME Group, Cboe Global Markets, the New York Stock Exchange, and the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation. 

He said participants shared a common view that regulations designed for an earlier financial system cannot adequately support consumers, businesses, or innovation today. Moreover, he noted that Ripple has advocated for clearer digital asset rules since publishing an open letter to Congress in 2019.

Garlinghouse credited recent regulatory efforts by the Trump administration, CFTC Chairman Michael Selig, and lawmakers for moving the industry closer to clearer oversight. However, he emphasized that stronger progress remains necessary before comprehensive federal legislation becomes a reality.

No August doldrums in DC this week! It was great to join the inaugural @CFTC Innovation Advisory Committee (a group I’ve called “the Olympic roster of crypto.”) But for a “crypto” gathering, there were a LOT of TradFi players in the room like @NASDAQ, @CMEGroup, @CBOE,… pic.twitter.com/T6hjrcK2e8

— Brad Garlinghouse (@bgarlinghouse) August 22, 2026

The advisory committee itself cannot create laws or issue regulations independently. Instead, it provides recommendations that may shape future CFTC policies and enforcement approaches.

Congress Faces a Key Crypto Legislation Test

Garlinghouse’s optimism comes after regulators introduced several policy changes during 2026. In March, the SEC and CFTC jointly issued guidance explaining how federal securities and commodities laws apply to different categories of crypto assets.

The SEC also introduced a five-category token framework covering digital commodities, stablecoins, digital securities, digital collectibles, and digital tools. Additionally, the guidance addressed staking, mining, airdrops, token wrapping, and investment contract considerations.

Despite those developments, the guidance does not carry the force of congressional legislation. Courts are not required to follow the interpretation, and future regulators could revise it.

Attention now shifts to the Senate’s September 15 cloture vote on the CLARITY Act. The procedural vote requires 60 senators and would only allow formal debate to begin rather than approve the bill outright.

Outstanding disagreements over decentralized finance protections, stablecoin rewards, consumer safeguards, ethics provisions, and illicit finance measures continue to cloud the legislation’s path. 

Even so, industry leaders, including Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, have expressed optimism that the measure could clear its procedural hurdle.