The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has once again postponed its decision on several altcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs)

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has once again postponed its decision on several altcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs)

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has once again postponed its verdict on several altcoin exchange-traded funds (ETFs), including those based on XRP, Solana (SOL), Litecoin (LTC), and Dogecoin (DOGE).

According to a series of filings on March 11, the regulator has now designated a longer period of 120 days to assess proposed rule changes that are necessary for the ETFs’ approval. Among the ETF proposals affected by the SEC’s delay are Grayscale's XRP ETF and Cboe BZX Exchange's spot Solana ETF filings. The final decision on these ETFs has been pushed to May 12.

The SEC's decision to delay its ruling on the altcoin ETFs comes as no surprise to market analysts, who have been following the regulator's every move closely. Earlier this week, President Donald Trump's nominee for SEC Chair, Paul Atkins, was spotted at a crypto event, further fueling speculation about a potential shift in the regulatory landscape.

"This is to be expected and standard procedure," remarked James Seyffart, a Bloomberg ETF analyst, on X (formerly Twitter). As Seyffart further explained, despite the postponement, the chances of approval remain unchanged in the long run.

Highlighting the broader context, Seyffart added that the SEC is also postponing decisions on ETFs featuring Ether (ETH) staking and in-kind redemptions. Moreover, with Donald Trump's administration making significant changes to the SEC leadership, it appears that the agency is taking a broader reassessment of the crypto ETF space under new leadership.

The SEC has also delayed a ruling on Cboe Exchange's request to list options tied to Ethereum ETFs, which was originally due on February 28. This follows a surge in altcoin ETF proposals following the resignation of former SEC Chair Gary Gensler, whose tenure from 2021 to January 2025 was marked by an aggressive focus on enforcing federal securities law in the crypto sector.

During his time at the SEC, Gensler oversaw over 100 crypto-related enforcement actions, often criticizing the crypto industry for its lack of compliance with existing regulations. However, following Gensler's departure, there has been a noticeable shift in the regulatory tide, with the SEC dropping cases against major crypto firms.

On February 26, the SEC dismissed an action it brought last year against crypto exchange Gemini over its interest-bearing Gemini Earn product. This decision came after a federal judge ruled that the SEC's approach to regulating cryptocurrencies was "arbitrary and capricious."

Furthermore, on March 4, the SEC dropped a case against trading firm Cumberland DRW, which was accused of violating price manipulation rules during the 2021 DeFi crisis. These case dismissals, in particular the Gemini case, could be linked to a proposal by the SEC staff to abandon parts of a controversial rule change that would have expanded regulation of alternative trading systems (ATS) to include cryptocurrency firms.

If adopted, this change, proposed by acting SEC Chair Mark Uyeda, would provide additional regulatory clarity for crypto businesses and streamline the process of applying for exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

The SEC is now expected to make a final decision on the XRP, Solana, Litecoin, and Dogecoin ETFs by May 12. However, the final deadlines for these ETFs are not until October, leaving ample time for potential approval as long as there are no further delays.