The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have officially resumed full operational capacity after a 43-day government shutdown concluded late Wednesday. Federal employees were instructed to return to work immediately following the enactment of appropriations legislation that restored government funding.
According to detailed operational contingency plans published by both regulatory bodies, staff members were expected to return to their positions the day after funding was restored. The lengthy suspension of regulatory oversight had created significant uncertainty across cryptocurrency markets and traditional financial sectors, with numerous enforcement actions and regulatory guidance initiatives being temporarily suspended during the funding lapse.
The resumption of normal operations comes as a relief to market participants who had expressed concerns about delayed approvals for financial products and diminished market surveillance during the extended closure. Both agencies play crucial roles in overseeing digital asset markets, with the SEC focusing on securities regulation and the CFTC maintaining jurisdiction over commodity derivatives and spot markets for cryptocurrencies classified as commodities.
Industry observers note that the regulatory bodies now face substantial backlogs of pending applications, ongoing investigations, and routine market monitoring activities that accumulated during the historic shutdown period. Market participants anticipate accelerated regulatory activity as agencies work to address the operational gap created by the prolonged funding interruption.
