Today in crypto, the US financial regulator is reportedly weighing a new token listing standard that could ease regulatory hurdles for crypto exchange-traded funds. Meanwhile, German banking giant Deutsche Bank is planning to launch a crypto custody service in 2026. And in Washington, US senators pushed to insert crypto-related amendments into the sweeping “big beautiful bill.”
US regulator considers simplified path to market for crypto ETFs
The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is reportedly exploring a simplified listing structure for crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that would automate a significant portion of the approval process.
Under the proposed overhaul, ETF issuers could potentially sidestep 19b-4 application filings, the form entities submit to the SEC before listing a financial product on exchanges, according to crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett.
Instead, issuers would submit SEC form S-1, the initial listing registration filing, and wait for 75 days. If the SEC does not object to the application, the issuer would be free to list the ETF, reducing the back-and-forth communication between fund managers and the regulator.
Terrett says that details of the proposal, including the eligibility criteria for cryptocurrencies qualifying for the expedited process, are yet to be confirmed by the issuers and the regulatory body.
Crypto ETF approvals are a hot-button topic, as US-listed altcoin ETFs could attract fresh capital into altcoin markets, potentially triggering a sustained altcoin rally, or altseason.
Deutsche Bank to launch crypto custody accounts in 2026: Report
Germany’s biggest bank, Deutsche Bank, is reportedly planning to allow its clients to store cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin (BTC) next year.
Deutsche Bank plans to launch a digital assets custody service in 2026 in collaboration with the technology unit of Austria-based Bitpanda crypto exchange, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday.
The crypto custody service’s development will also involve Deutsche Bank-backed Swiss technology provider Taurus, according to Bloomberg, citing sources familiar with the matter.
If confirmed, Deutsche Bank’s latest plans would mark the bank’s latest attempt to enter the crypto storage market, since it revealed such ambitions in 2020.
Deutsche Bank has signaled increasing interest in cryptocurrency in recent years
In early June, Deutsche Bank’s head of digital assets, Sabih Behzad, said the bank was considering entering the stablecoin market, including issuing its own stablecoin or joining stablecoin projects.
“We can certainly see the momentum of stablecoins along with a regulatory supportive environment, especially in the US,” Behzad said, adding:
“Banks have a wide variety of options available to engage in the stablecoin industry — everything from acting as a reserve manager, through to issuing their own stablecoin, either alone or in a consortium.”
Additionally, Deutsche Bank is also reportedly assessing whether to develop its own tokenized deposit solution for use in payments.
Senators jam in crypto changes to “big beautiful bill”
US Senators were in a marathon vote-a-rama all Monday and into Tuesday on Donald Trump’s sweeping tax and spending One Big Beautiful Bill Act as they looked to tack on amendments, one of which would change crypto taxes.
Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis said she put forward an amendment aimed at ending the “unfair tax treatment” of crypto that would, among other things, waive taxes on crypto transactions under $300 and stipulate that crypto earned from airdrops, mining and staking not be taxable until sold.
Earlier on Monday, the Senate shot down a Democrat-backed amendment that would have prohibited government officials, including the president, and their families from offering or promoting cryptocurrencies and other digital assets.
Lummis, who opposed the amendment, claimed it “would inflict serious harm on American innovation and competitiveness” as it went “too far” with restricting the family of government officials and could send a message that “America is closed for business.”
Meanwhile, Trump’s former cost-cutting czar, Elon Musk, has said he’ll work to unseat all members of Congress who voted for the bill and would create a new political party if it passes, saying the US needs “an alternative to the Democrat-Republican uniparty.”
