The clock starts on the CFTC's crypto rulebook: the public has until December 14 to weigh in on how leveraged crypto trading is policed

The comment window on Washington's newest attempt at crypto rules is open, and it now has an end date. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission's advance notice of proposed rulemaking on crypto trading appeared in the Federal Register on Tuesday, eight days after the agency announced it. Comments must be received on or before December 14, 2026.

The agency had said comments would be due 60 days after publication. Sixty days from October 13 is Saturday, December 12, and the Federal Register gives the following Monday.

The notice describes two planned rules under section 2(c)(2)(D) of the Commodity Exchange Act, the provision that covers retail commodity transactions offered with leverage, margin or financing. Regulation Crypto Asset Transactions would set out the agency's reading of the law's key terms, including what counts as "actual delivery" of a crypto asset. Regulation Crypto Asset Markets would create a new category of registered exchange for these trades and apply futures-style requirements covering intermediaries, clearing, margin, position limits and trade execution. Proof of reserves is among the topics it lists.

When the notice was announced on October 5, Chairman Michael S. Selig said the aim was to give Americans clarity, certainty and consumer protections in crypto markets, and to prevent fraud rather than only prosecute it afterward.

An advance notice is not a rule. The agency says the information it gathers may inform future action, such as a rulemaking. Comments can be filed at Regulations.gov under docket CFTC-2026-2179.