The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has published new guidance that may accelerate institutional adoption of liquid staking in the United States, according to industry sources.
In a statement released Tuesday, the agency’s Division of Corporation Finance outlined its view that certain liquid staking arrangements — including the issuance of receipt tokens like stETH — do not constitute securities transactions.
The clarification represents progress for the decentralized finance (DeFi) industry, which has long sought regulatory certainty around staking models. It also shows a potential shift in how U.S. regulators approach blockchain-based innovations that involve derivative representations of crypto assets.
Liquid Staking Receives Long-Awaited Regulatory Clarity
Liquid staking refers to a process in which users stake their crypto assets with a third-party protocol and, in return, receive a new token that represents their deposit and accrued staking rewards. These receipt tokens — such as stETH in the case of Ethereum — allow users to maintain liquidity while still participating in network staking.
The SEC’s latest statement aims to clarify whether these arrangements are subject to U.S. securities laws. For many in the industry, the answer comes as welcome news.
Sam Kim, Chief Legal Officer of Lido Labs Foundation, described the guidance as a breakthrough moment: “Yesterday’s SEC guidance confirming that liquid staking and receipt tokens like stETH do not constitute securities provides the much-needed guidance that Lido and the wider industry have needed.”
Kim explains that the clarity will encourage further participation from institutional investors and platforms that had previously been hesitant due to legal uncertainty.
Path Cleared for Institutional and Platform Integration
With the regulatory fog lifting, liquid staking protocols may now gain broader acceptance with centralized exchanges, fintech platforms, and regulated investment firms.
“This opens the door for U.S.-based platforms, financial institutions, and users to engage with liquid staking protocols more freely,” Kim said. “Without the fear of triggering securities laws, more protocols may integrate liquid staking tokens, expanding their utility across DeFi.”
By removing the perceived legal risk associated with staking receipts, the SEC’s position could help increase liquidity and utility for such tokens across the U.S. financial ecosystem.
Legal Experts Highlight Implications for Broader Token Design
Legal analysts suggest the SEC’s language on liquid staking may have broader implications beyond staking itself. Jason Gottlieb, a partner at Morrison Cohen, said the agency’s approach reflects a logical evolution in how it categorizes crypto assets and derivatives.
“At heart, a liquid staking token is just a receipt on a token,” said Gottlieb. “With the SEC now correctly taking the position that cryptocurrency tokens themselves are not securities, it makes sense that a receipt for a token is not a receipt for a security.”
Gottlieb adds that this reasoning could influence future regulatory considerations around cross-chain bridges and wrapped tokens — mechanisms that similarly rely on receipt-style representations.
A Pivotal Step for U.S. Crypto Market Maturity
As the world’s largest capital market, the United States remains a critical frontier for the growth of digital asset ecosystems. With liquid staking protocols now operating under clearer rules, DeFi builders and institutional actors alike may find renewed confidence to innovate and engage.
For stakeholders like Lido and other major protocols, the SEC’s latest stance is more than a legal signal — it’s an invitation to scale.
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