CFTC Chair Says Only Federally Regulated Exchanges May Offer Leverage

CFTC Chair Michael Selig said Oct. 7 that only federally regulated cryptocurrency exchanges would be allowed to offer leveraged trading under proposed U.S. rules, setting a tighter framework for platforms seeking to provide margin products.

State-level entities would be limited to money-transfer-related services under the approach. That would reserve leveraged crypto trading for exchanges operating under federal oversight.

Selig also said the proposal would not create an exception for 100x leverage. That level of leverage, common in some offshore markets, has not been approved for U.S. offerings.

The policy would place federal supervision at the center of any U.S. market for leveraged crypto products while restricting the role of state-level providers.