BlackRock Met SEC Crypto Task Force Over ETF Staking

Earlier today, the SEC’s Crypto Task Force met with representatives from BlackRock to discuss several crypto regulations. The meeting covered several topics, including staking, tokenization, and ETFs.

BlackRock sent nine representatives to this meeting, including the Head and Director of both Digital Assets and Regulatory Affairs. Most of the discussion remains secret, but this was clearly a high-level talk.

BlackRock Meets With the SEC

Since the SEC came under new management during the Trump Administration, its new Crypto Task Force has busied itself with a lot of functions. It’s been consulting with private firms on crypto regulation on several prior occasions, and today is no exception.

BlackRock’s meeting with the SEC concerned several of its top crypto-related priorities, according to the agenda:

“We request a meeting… to discuss the following topics: An Overview of BlackRock’s Digital Assets Suite, perspectives on…considerations for facilitating ETPs with staking capabilities, advancing tokenization of securities, specific factors that could be applied for approving crypto ETPs, [and] standards…for options on crypto ETPs,” BlackRock’s agenda read.

Generally, the agenda only mentioned broad categories of products. However, the first bullet point directly addressed several specific BlackRock products. It’s safe to assume that the SEC discussions prominently featured BlackRock’s own offerings.

For example, BlackRock mostly asked if the SEC would discuss ETPs, but the firm issues the world’s largest Bitcoin ETF. It’s safe to assume that IBIT came up throughout the talks. The firm has repeatedly sought approval for ETF staking, as the SEC’s consent remains elusive.

BlackRock also specifically mentioned several other product offerings to the SEC. For example, the request addressed an “overview of market developments” concerning BUIDL, BlackRock’s tokenization fund.

BUIDL almost certainly reappeared in broader discussions on RWA tokenization, which featured on the meeting agenda in several other places.

There aren’t many other details concerning this closed-door meeting. Luckily, BlackRock included a full list of company representatives who met with the SEC.

The firm sent nine attendees, most of whom came from Digital Assets and Regulatory Affairs. The Heads and Directors of both divisions were present, signaling the high-level nature of these talks.

Ultimately, it’s difficult to determine how exactly this BlackRock meeting will influence the SEC’s policy. The Commission has recently come under fire for its perceived favoritism to the crypto industry; this may complicate its operations.

Still, the Task Force is continuing to host closed-door discussions like this, revealing its continued interest in industry cooperation.