BTC Steady at $64k Amid US Regulatory Focus and Iran Tensions

Crypto markets held steady on Wednesday as investors digested new regulatory proposals from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and weighed in on escalating tensions between the U.S. and Iran.

The SEC proposed new rules aimed at creating a tailored framework for certain investment contracts involving crypto assets, establishing two exemptions from securities registration requirements. One exemption would allow eligible issuers to raise up to $5 million over a four-year period, while the other would permit offerings of up to $75 million in any 12-month period.

SEC Chairman Paul Atkins said the proposal sought to give crypto entrepreneurs and market participants clear pathways to raise capital under federal securities laws. He added that the plan would also allow a safe harbor once an issuer had completed or permanently ceased the essential managerial efforts it had promised under an investment contract.

The regulatory developments came as U.S. President Donald Trump was set to join a White House session of his administration's newly formed innovation committee, which will bring together chief executives from crypto firms and prediction markets alongside representatives from traditional finance and the AI sector.