U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to attend a crypto industry meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 19, at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, according to Politico and CoinDesk, which cited people familiar with the matter. Trump is expected to speak at the event. The building sits next to the White House.
The next day, Thursday, Aug. 20, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s newly created Innovation Advisory Committee is set to hold its first formal meeting. The White House gathering is described in the report as a small warm-up event, with the main focus shifting to the CFTC session a day later.
CFTC committee to open with crypto regulation agenda
The opening topic for the committee meeting is listed as “The Evolution of Crypto Regulation: From Uncertainty to Clarity.” Another proposed discussion track is focused on what challenges remain in building a durable federal market structure.
The committee roster is central to the event. Executives from Coinbase, Ripple, Gemini, Robinhood, Polymarket and Kalshi are on the list. So are a16z, Chainlink, Paradigm and the industry group Digital Chamber. On the traditional finance side, CME Group, Nasdaq, Intercontinental Exchange and clearinghouse DTCC also have seats, with Frank La Salle representing DTCC.
The full committee has 35 members, combining crypto-native firms with established market infrastructure participants.
Trump expected alongside CFTC and White House officials
CFTC Chair Mike Selig is expected to attend. Patrick Witt, executive director of the White House Presidential Council of Advisers for Digital Assets, is also on the list. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick may attend as well.
The White House and the CFTC declined to comment on the meeting, according to the report.
Four listed firms were sued by Baltimore days earlier
Part of the committee list comes with legal baggage. On Aug. 14, the city of Baltimore sued Kalshi and Polymarket, alleging that the two companies operated unlicensed sports betting businesses. Robinhood and Coinbase were also named as defendants.
That means leaders from four companies named in the case are still expected to be in a meeting room next to the White House the following week.
The CFTC has also taken mixed positions on prediction markets this month. On Aug. 12, it used emergency powers to back Kalshi, allowing the company to ignore an order from the New York attorney general to shut down. On Aug. 13, the agency publicly warned that poorly disclosed prediction-market incentive programs could attract wash trading and manipulation.
CLARITY Act remains stuck in the Senate
The report said the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, or CLARITY Act, is still stalled ahead of a final Senate vote. According to people familiar with the matter, whether the bill moves forward depends in part on whether Trump is willing to accept stricter ethics provisions aimed at his own personal interests in the crypto industry.
On July 21, Trump had indicated he would allow those ethics provisions. On July 24, Senate Majority Leader John Thune said the bill would not make it to a vote before the August recess. Separately, the Securities and Exchange Commission planned on Aug. 12 to use a meeting to draft new rules for crypto asset issuance, but canceled that meeting on the night of Aug. 14 and did not announce a new date.
With the legislative track stalled and the SEC process paused, the CFTC meeting next week is emerging as one of the few live regulatory venues on the calendar.
Prediction market pricing and crypto prices were muted
On Polymarket, the “Yes” side of the contract asking whether the CLARITY Act will be signed into law in 2026 was priced at 19.5%, with open interest at about $7 million.
Crypto prices showed little response to the White House schedule. Bitcoin was at $63,076, down 0.55% over 24 hours, while Ether traded at $1,883. According to the report, neither asset showed a notable move tied to the meeting news.