New crypto laws in the United States may move faster through Congress, but the real wait starts after that. Even if lawmakers approve a long-awaited crypto market structure bill, experts say turning it into working rules could take many years.
Justin Slaughter, vice president of regulatory affairs at crypto firm Paradigm, recently explained that the bill requires dozens of separate rules to be written by regulators. Each rule must go through drafting, public feedback, revisions, and final approval. That process alone can stretch across multiple administrations.
The bill is currently moving through Senate committees, with bipartisan discussions still ongoing. Even if it clears Congress and gets signed by the president, regulators like the SEC and CFTC would still need to do the heavy lifting.
Ok, so here are the main takeaways I have.
First, this bill is still missing a lot of things. There’s nothing at all on ethics (which is going to be a big hang-up for people) nor is there anything on a quorum requirement for the Commissions. The Dems won’t sign a bill that… https://t.co/2ckoCO6QlW
— Justin Slaughter (@JBSDC) January 14, 2026
Rulemaking Is Slow by Design
Rulemaking is how government agencies translate laws into real-world regulations. It is designed to be careful, not fast. Agencies must publish proposals, collect comments from the public and industry, and then finalize the rules.
Slaughter pointed out that past financial laws followed the same path. The Dodd-Frank Act, passed after the 2008 financial crisis, took many years before all its rules were completed. Some parts are still being refined more than a decade later.
🇺🇸 U.S. crypto regulation now likely delayed until 2026.
Lawmakers, banking CEOs, and crypto firms are still hashing out key market structure legislation.
🎙️ Sen. John Kennedy: “We’re making progress, but we’re not there yet.” pic.twitter.com/VU8LYSTceP
— 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗸XRP (@BankXRP) December 18, 2025
Crypto regulation is expected to face similar delays, especially given the technical nature of digital assets and the number of agencies involved.
The Bill Is Not Guaranteed Yet
There is also no guarantee the bill becomes law quickly. Major legislation often stalls, gets rewritten, or fails before finally passing. Slaughter noted that most large bills “die” at least once before surviving the full process.
For the crypto industry, this means regulatory clarity is coming. However, patience will be required. Even with political support, clear and enforceable rules may still be years away.