SEC just gave crypto lawyers a new way to win in court
The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued an exemptive order on Oct. 31 that has nothing to do with Bitcoin or Ethereum but everything to do with how crypto exchanges will argue their cases over the next two years.
The order delays compliance deadlines for Regulation NMS, the rulebook governing US equity trading, until February and November 2026.
The announcement mentions a lapse in appropriations and the need to “facilitate orderly market functions” after a court denied a stay petition.
Chairman Paul Atkins framed the relief as procedural housekeeping for traditional markets struggling with new tick-size rules, access-fee caps, and transparency mandates during a partial government shutdown.
The order hands exchanges a…
