On Wednesday, the SEC announced that the Commission has approved generic listing standards for commodity-based trust shares as part of the agency’s continuing efforts to take regulatory action in the digital asset market. The announcement notes:

The Securities and Exchange Commission today voted to approve proposed rule changes by three national securities exchanges to adopt generic listing standards for exchange-traded products that hold spot commodities, including digital assets. As a result, the exchanges may list and trade Commodity-Based Trust Shares that meet the requirements of the approved generic listing standards without first submitting a proposed rule change to the Commission pursuant to Section 19(b) of the Exchange Act.

“By approving these generic listing standards, we are ensuring that our capital markets remain the best place in the world to engage in the cutting-edge innovation of digital assets. This approval helps to maximize investor choice and foster innovation by streamlining the listing process and reducing barriers to access digital asset products within America’s trusted capital markets,” said SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins.

Division of Trading and Markets Director Jamie Selway said, “The Commission’s approval of the generic listing standards provides much needed regulatory clarity and certainty to the investment community through a rational, rules-based approach to bring products to market while ensuring investor protections.”

– Dave Lynn