Digital Assets: Clarifying CFTC Re gulatory Authority & 

the Fallacy of the Question, "Is it a Commodity or a Se curity?" 

Down D. Stump 

Commissioner 

Commodity Futures Trading Commission 

Disclaimer: The analysis presented below reflects the views of 

other CFTC Commissioners 

Commissioner Stump and not necessarily those of the CFTC nor 

LEGAL AUTHORITIES OF THE COMMODITY FUTURES 

The definition of a "commodity" under the CFTC's governing statute, the Commodity 

01 Exchange Act (CEA}, is extremely broad. 

• Therefore, to say that a particular digital asset is a "commodity" is unremarkable. 

02 The CEA provides the CFTC with 2 types of legal authority: REGULATORY 

AUTHORITY and ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY 

• The CFTC's Regulatory Authority includes registration requirements, dayto-day oversight, and principles-based regulation. 

• The CFTC's Enforcement Authority is its ability to bring civil enforcement 

actions for violations of the CEA and the CFTC's rules. 

• 

CFTC REGULATORY AUTHORITY - COMMODITIES, 

SECURITIES, DERIVATIVES 

The CFTC does not have REGULATORY AUTHORITY over cash commodities - that is, the 03 CFTC does not regulate commodities (or those who buy, sell, or engage in activities relating to

a cash commodity}. Rather, the CFTC regulates futures contracts on commodities, and other 

derivatives Rroducts such as swaRS. 

Examples that illustrate the distinction between commodities (which the CFTC does not 

regulate) and derivatives products (which the CFTC does regulate}: 

- Cattle are commodities, and the CFTC regulates futures 

contracts on cattle -but, the CFTC is not out regulating cash 

cattle markets, such as sale barns or video auctions. 

- Natural gas is a commodity, and the CFTC regulates futures 

contracts and swaps on natural gas - but, the CFTC does not 

regulate the transmission and sale of natural gas for resale in 

interstate commerce (the Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission does that). 

- Interest rates are intangible commodities, and the CFTC 

regulates futures contracts and swaps on interest rates - but, the 

Federal Reserve Board of Governors manages the level of shortterm interest rates through its monetary policy. 

04 Therefore: Even if a digital asset is a commodity, it is not regulated by the CFTC. 

✓ However: The CFTC does regulate derivatives on digital assets, just like it regulates 

other derivatives. 

• That includes the regulation of trading, clearing, etc., of futures contracts and 

swaps on digital assets (such as the futures contracts on Bitcoin and Ether listed 

for trading on various CFTC-regulated exchanges). 

05 Just as the CFTC does not regulate cash commodities, it also does not regulate 

securities - the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC} does that. 

• Accordingly, if a digital asset is a security, the CFTC does not regulate it. 

06 Because the CFTC is a regulator of derivatives, it may regulate derivatives on 

securities, such as it does today for futures on broad-based stock indexes. 

• In the CEA and the federal securities statutes, Congress determined that futures 

contracts and other derivatives on securities may be regulated by the CFTC or the 

SEC, or jointly by both. 

-The answer depends on the specific characteristics of the product, and requires 

an analysis of Congress' statutory framework and CFTC and SEC rules. 

• Therefore, if a digital asset is a security, further analysis is required to determine 

where Regulatory Authority lies for a derivatives product on that digital asset. 

CFTC ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY - DISTINCT & BRO ER 

THAN CFTC REGULATORY AUTHORITY 

07 Of course, the CFTC has ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY over products that it 

regulates. 

• For example, a trading platform that offers derivatives on digital assets to U.S. 

persons without registering, or in violation of CFTC trading rules, is subject to the 

CFTC's enforcement authority. 

• That was the case in the recent CFTC enforcement action against BitMEX, and 

the CFTC has brought similar such actions dating back to 2015. 

Notably, the CFTC's ENFORCEMENT AUTHORITY also includes a broader 

08 application for anti-manipulation and anti-fraud authority with respect to cash I commodities (although the CFTC does not regulate those commodities). 

• Why? Because well-functioning futures contracts (and other derivatives 

products} rely upon a sound underlying cash market and may reference cash 

market indexes in their pricing. 

• Thus, the CFTC utilizes this particular enforcement authority to protect the 

integrity of the derivatives markets that it regulates. 

09 For a number of years, the CFTC has aggressively used its broader ENFORCEMENT 

AUTHORJTY to deter manipulation and fraud involving cash digital assets, even 

though the CFTC does not regulate them. 

• Because this distinguishing point is absent from the considerable number of 

CFTC enforcement-related press releases, it may not be well-understood (to the 

detriment of the investing public). 

To determine the CFTC's REGULATORY AUTHORITY with respect to a digital asset, 

10 ask not whether the digital asset is a commodity or a security - ask whether a 

futures contract or other derivatives product is involved. 

• The CFTC does not regulate a digital asset even if it is a commodity (and 

regardless of whether or not it is a security}. 

• As the agency's middle name suggests, the CFTC does regulate futures 

contracts and other derivatives that are based on a digital asset. 

-This could include, in some cases, derivatives on a digital asset that is 

a security. If the digital asset underlying a derivatives product is a 

security, further analysis is required to determine the allocation of 

regulatory authority over the derivatives product as between the 

CFTC and the SEC.