8-4-2025 – The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is extending an olive branch to the cryptocurrency realm, ushering in a new chapter for digital asset regulation. On April 11, 2025, the SEC will host a landmark roundtable in Washington, D.C., dubbed “Between a Block and a Hard Place.” This gathering promises to be a crucible for reimagining how trading rules can better fit the wild, blockchain-driven world of crypto.
Far from a hushed backroom affair, this event is a bold step in the SEC’s quest for clarity. It’s the centrepiece of a broader initiative to harvest insights from the coalface before etching new regulations in stone. The public won’t be left in the dark either—anyone can watch the action unfold via livestream, while those at SEC headquarters can lob in their thoughts through note cards or email as the debate rages.
The guest list is a who’s who of crypto heavyweights, including some familiar names with a chequered past. Top brass from Uniswap, Coinbase, and Cumberland DRW—firms once locked in legal tussles with the SEC—are now being beckoned to the table. Those lawsuits, quietly shelved earlier this year under the Trump administration’s softer stance, seem a distant memory. Stepping up are Uniswap’s legal chief Katherine Minarik, Coinbase’s vice president Gregory Tusar, and Cumberland’s Chelsea Pizzola, joined by voices from the old guard like the New York Stock Exchange and Texture Capital. It’s a fascinating mash-up, hinting at the SEC’s ambition to weave traditional finance into the fabric of this digital frontier.
This isn’t a one-off. The roundtable slots into the SEC’s “Spring Sprint Toward Crypto Clarity,” a five-part webinar odyssey kicked off in March by its Crypto Task Force. That opening salvo tackled the legal bedrock of cryptocurrencies, while future instalments will plunge into meaty issues like tokenisation, decentralised finance (DeFi), and the safekeeping of digital treasures. It’s a methodical march towards a rulebook that works.
The timing feels seismic. Acting SEC Chair Mark Uyeda is dusting off old pronouncements—like a 2019 guide on applying the Howey Test to crypto tokens, alongside warnings about Bitcoin funds and custody risks—to see what still holds water. With the Trump era thawing the agency’s once-icy tone, and former foes now breaking bread, this April gathering could mark a watershed.
