Trump’s Crypto Summit Tomorrow: CLARITY Get Push, or SEC-CFTC Go For Plan B?

The White House crypto summit tomorrow comes with two possible paths for U.S. crypto regulation. President Donald Trump could use the meeting to give the CLARITY Act a push, or ask the SEC and CFTC to move ahead with their own rules. 

With both agency chiefs attending, tomorrow’s summit could decide the fate of the CLARITY Act.

Trump To Meet Crypto and Wall Street Leaders

On August 19, President Donald Trump will meet crypto and Wall Street leaders at the White House as the CLARITY Act remains stuck in the Senate. The main goal of the meeting is to find a way forward if lawmakers fail to reach a deal. 

SEC Chairman Paul Atkins and CFTC Chairman Michael Selig are also expected to attend, along with executives from Coinbase, Polymarket, Ripple and Gemini. Major financial firms and market groups, including Nasdaq, NYSE, CME and DTCC, are also expected to join the meeting.

Trump can use the summit to push industry leaders and lawmakers toward a deal. But the timing is important because Congress has already left for its August recess.

Main Topic: Will CLARITY Get Any Push?

The CLARITY Act will be one of the main topics at the summit. The bill would create clearer rules for digital assets and define whether the SEC or CFTC should oversee different parts of the crypto market.

The Senate Banking Committee advanced the bill in May with a 15-9 vote, but the full Senate has not yet voted on it. But the disagreements remain over stablecoin rewards, consumer protection, and ethics concerns that are still holding it back.

Trump’s crypto income has also become part of the debate. His financial disclosure showed more than $1.4 billion in income from the WLFI project.

Congress will now return on 14 September, giving lawmakers only a short window to act before their focus shifts to the midterm elections.

Plan B: SEC and CFTC Could Move Without CLARITY

If Congress remains stuck, the SEC and CFTC could continue their own work.

SEC Chairman Paul Atkins has already stated that the SEC can move ahead with rulemaking under its existing powers if Congress remains deadlocked.

“We need the certainty of a statute that will help future-proof so that we have clear direction to go forward.”

The plan includes a simpler path for some crypto offerings and a safe-harbor option that could give startups more room to grow without facing the full set of traditional securities rules.

The CFTC has another important date on 20 August. Its Innovation Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet one day after the White House summit. The committee includes leaders from Coinbase, Polymarket, Ripple, Nasdaq, CME Group and DTCC. 

The 19 August summit and 29 August 20 CFTC meeting could provide the first clear signs of which path the administration will take.