SEC’s next crypto roundtable to host DeFi dialogue addressing autonomy in regulation

The US Securities and Exchange Commission released the agenda for its upcoming roundtable, “DeFi and the American Spirit,” scheduled for June 9 at its Washington, D.C. headquarters.

Organized by the agency’s Crypto Task Force, the half-day event is the fifth in an ongoing series designed to explore regulatory approaches to digital assets. The latest session will focus specifically on the DeFi sector.

The roundtable will run for roughly four hours and begin with opening remarks from SEC officials, including Chair Paul Atkins and Commissioner Hester Peirce, who also leads the Task Force.

Atkins and Peirce have both previously emphasized the importance of crafting a regulatory environment that allows DeFi innovation to thrive without compromising investor protections.

Intersection of DeFi and US regulatory principles

The main discussion, titled “DeFi and the American Spirit,” will take place from 1:30 to 3:00 P.M. and will be moderated by former SEC Commissioner Troy Paredes.

The panel will bring together thought leaders from academia, legal circles, and the blockchain industry to examine how DeFi platforms reflect core American values such as autonomy, open participation, and market-driven innovation.

Topics are expected to include the potential for peer-to-peer protocols to operate without intermediaries, the challenges of regulating smart contracts, and the risks and benefits of decentralized governance.

The event is open to the public and will be live-streamed on the SEC’s website. While virtual attendance does not require registration, in-person attendees must register in advance.

Continuing effort toward Clarity

This roundtable is the latest in the SEC’s “Spring Sprint Toward Crypto Clarity,” a multi-part initiative launched in March 2025 to gather industry feedback and inform regulatory policy.

The series opened with a session on how and when digital assets qualify as securities, followed by discussions on regulating crypto trading platforms, custody of digital assets, and the tokenization of traditional financial instruments.

Each roundtable has brought together legal scholars, technologists, and financial professionals to examine how existing rules intersect with emerging blockchain models.

With DeFi challenging traditional regulatory assumptions, the upcoming roundtable is expected to be one of the most pivotal yet. It will explore whether DeFi can be meaningfully integrated into the American regulatory framework while preserving its core principles of openness and autonomy.

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