After years of silence and a controversial turn to regulation-by-enforcement, the SEC, under new management, has finally provided guidance on how crypto assets intersect with federal securities laws. On April 10, 2025, the Division of Corporation Finance released long-sought guidance clarifying disclosure expectations for offerings and registrations involving crypto asset securities. While the document doesn’t rewrite the rules, it does something arguably more important: it begins to translate the traditional disclosure regime for the unique architecture of digital assets and tokenized ecosystems. This marks a seismic shift in paradigm by the Commission on the regulation of crypto. 

The crypto industry has spent well over four years operating in a fog of regulatory uncertainty. That ambiguity, and the corresponding regulatory debt every US-based crypto project has taken on, has been costly for innovation, investor confidence, and compliance planning. This new guidance doesn’t solve every open question, but it’s a serious and welcome attempt at paying down that debt. It draws much-needed lines around what the SEC staff expects, and it provides a framework that participants can engage with, debate, and improve.

The guidance interprets existing disclosure obligations under Regulation S-K and SEC registration forms (S-1, Form 10, 20-F, 1-A), with a particular emphasis on crypto asset securities. There is a clear directive to narrate the business model in plain English, honing in for the first time on how a crypto asset or blockchain network factors into the issuer's operations. It encourages firms to move beyond buzzwords and into thoughtful, investor-focused communication.

It also brings blockchain-specific technology disclosures into the fold. Issuers are now expected to explain how consensus mechanisms work, how smart contracts are audited and upgraded, and how cryptographic keys are secured. These aren’t peripheral details anymore—they are central to how value is created and preserved in tokenized ecosystems. Questions like, “Who holds the admin keys and what happens if they’re compromised?” are now disclosure-worthy.

Risk factors have also evolved. The SEC is clearly signaling that new technologies require new forms of risk transparency. Legal gray zones, reliance on decentralized protocols, smart contract vulnerabilities, and the sheer pace of change all create unique exposures for investors. For instance, how would a DAO’s governance process respond to a major protocol failure? Or what happens if a decentralized oracle service feeds corrupt data into a system that governs asset transfers?

In perhaps its most novel turn, the SEC guidance recognizes smart contract code as a kind of legal documentation. Where those contracts encode investor rights or obligations, they must now be submitted as exhibits—just like an operating agreement or indenture would be for a traditional offering. This is a long-overdue alignment between form and function in the age of programmable finance.

Supply management gets equally careful attention. Issuers need to articulate not just how many tokens exist, but how new tokens are minted, who has the authority to change supply mechanics, and what guardrails are in place. Investors should be able to answer questions like: Is the token inflationary? Are there vesting periods for insiders? Can tokens be burned or frozen by a central party?

The same goes for digital asset characteristics. Wallet requirements, divisibility, on-chain ownership tracking, and transfer restrictions are now key parts of the disclosure landscape. Issuers may need to explain whether only certain wallet types (e.g., custodial, non-custodial, multisig) are compatible with the token, or whether address whitelisting is used to enforce compliance. They must also describe how ownership is verified and recorded on-chain, and what conditions, if any, limit the token's transferability across networks or jurisdictions. While these elements might sound technical, they directly shape how investors experience ownership and liquidity, influencing factors like interoperability, custody risk, and secondary market participation.

For issuers of real-world assets (RWAs), the implications are particularly significant. These projects already straddle two regulatory universes—traditional finance and crypto. Under the new guidance, RWA issuers must describe with precision what rights a token conveys, how those rights are enforced in the real world, and who has custody or legal control over the underlying asset. It’s no longer sufficient to say a token "represents" something; the mechanism for that representation must be disclosed and legally supportable.

Issuers must also clarify how governance systems affect investor protections. Whether governed by a DAO, a protocol foundation, or a traditional board, issuers must explain to prospective investors who can change the rules of the game—and how. This includes both on-chain upgrade procedures and off-chain decision-making, especially when either can impact tokenholder rights. On-chain procedures might involve mechanisms such as governance proposals, validator voting, or automated execution of contract upgrades based on quorum thresholds. Off-chain processes could include decisions made by protocol foundations, multisig keyholders, or external legal entities that administer aspects of the ecosystem. Both domains—code-based and organizational—can materially alter how tokens function, who has access to key systems, or whether investors retain enforceable rights under changing conditions.

And then there’s liquidity. Investors want to know not only how they can exit a position but under what market or legal conditions they might be restricted from doing so. The SEC wants issuers to disclose arrangements with market makers, limitations on transferability, and any jurisdictional constraints that may apply.

This guidance won’t end the policy debates around crypto assets, and it doesn’t answer the biggest existential questions—like when a token becomes "sufficiently decentralized." But what it does offer is structure, language, and expectations. It’s a solid foundation for regulatory engagement, and a first meaningful attempt at clearing the backlog of ambiguity that has hung over the industry for too long.

For Bluprynt, the Tokenized Asset Coalition and the RWA community more broadly, this is an opportunity. Not just to comply, but to lead. Those who embrace these expectations early and with substance—not just form—are likely to help shape the next chapter of tokenized finance. 

In short, bravo.  We applaud the efforts of the Commission to deliver this much needed guidance and stand ready to assist as they adopt rules or regulations

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