US CFTC Updates Guidance on Blockchain and Tokenised Assets

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has updated its guidance on blockchain and tokenized assets, providing clarity for registrants and registered entities.

The update addresses investments of customer funds in tokenized forms of permitted investments, as well as the use of blockchain technology to satisfy recordkeeping requirements.

The CFTC's guidance now clarifies that authorized companies can invest customer funds in tokenized versions of permitted assets when the tokenized form provides holders with the same or functionally equivalent legal and economic rights as the traditional asset.

The agency also said it would not object to companies using blockchain-based systems to meet their recordkeeping requirements, building on previous guidance set out in Staff Letters 25-39 and 26-05.