Robinhood Markets met with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s crypto task force on Feb. 19 to discuss how digital asset regulation should evolve in the United States. The company was represented by senior legal executives including General Counsel Lucas Moskowitz and Deputy General Counsel John Markle, with discussions covering special-purpose broker-dealers for crypto, staking, and the application of securities laws to tokenized assets.
The meeting also touched on recent SEC enforcement actions and how emerging case law may shape the classification of digital assets, including meme coins. The task force itself was created by Acting SEC Chair Mark Uyeda and is led by Commissioner Hester Peirce, who has long argued for more transparent crypto rules, making the meeting especially notable for the industry.
Robinhood challenges regulation by enforcement
In a letter submitted to the SEC in response to the agency’s request for public input, Robinhood backed the formation of the crypto task force but criticized the lack of clear regulatory guidance in the U.S. The company argued that determining whether tokens are securities through litigation is inefficient and leaves market participants without predictable standards.
Robinhood cited remarks from U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, warning that regulating crypto “case by case, coin by coin, court after court” risks producing inconsistent outcomes and deepening confusion across the sector. The company also referred to earlier congressional testimony that raised concerns about former SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s enforcement-first approach to crypto oversight.
Calls for a provisional framework
Robinhood urged the SEC to use its existing authority under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to establish a provisional framework for digital assets. According to the company, such a structure should address registration requirements, record-keeping, consumer protections, custody standards, and transaction reporting, giving firms a clearer compliance pathway while broader policy debates continue.
The meeting came only days before Robinhood announced that the SEC had formally closed its investigation into Robinhood Crypto without enforcement action. That probe was part of the agency’s wider review of digital asset platforms and focused on whether Robinhood’s crypto offerings violated securities laws. The company welcomed the outcome and said it remains committed to compliance while continuing to engage in the push for clearer rules.
Beyond Robinhood, the SEC crypto task force has also met with Microstrategy Executive Chairman Michael Saylor, as well as representatives from Fidelity Management, Zero Hash, and Fireblocks, underscoring a broader regulatory outreach effort across the industry.