Airdrops

On March 17 in Washington, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission said it joined an SEC interpretation that explains how federal securities laws apply to certain crypto assets and related transactions. The CFTC said it and its staff will administer the Commodity Exchange Act in a manner consistent with that SEC interpretation. The guidance also discusses areas including commodity classification for some non-security crypto assets, plus airdrops, protocol mining, protocol staking, and wrapping.

Playnance has rolled out public trading for its token GCOIN on MEXC, with the GCOIN/USDT pair opening on March 18, 2026 at 13:00 UTC. The launch follows the project's Token Generation Event earlier the same day and comes after MEXC's Kickstarter activity tied to a 50,000 USDT airdrop. Playnance says more than 1 billion GCOIN were staked within hours, and withdrawals on MEXC are set to start on March 19.

Playnance launched GCOIN trading on MEXC, with the GCOIN/USDT pair opening on March 18, 2026 at 13:00 UTC after the project's Token Generation Event earlier that day. The company said MEXC deposits are already available, while withdrawals are scheduled to start on March 19. Playnance also cited over 300,000 GCOIN holders, more than 10,000 on-chain games, and over 2 million on-chain transactions processed daily.

On March 17, the U.S. SEC released new guidance explaining how federal securities laws apply to different crypto assets and activities. The framework outlines categories such as digital commodities, stablecoins, digital collectibles, digital tools, and digital securities, and also addresses airdrops, staking, protocol mining, and token wrapping. Issued in coordination with the CFTC, officials said the interpretation is intended to reduce long-standing classification uncertainty and support clearer oversight.

On 17 March 2026, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission released new guidance on how federal securities laws apply to crypto, stating that most crypto assets are not securities. The framework introduces a five-part taxonomy and explains how securities rules may apply to activities such as staking, airdrops, mining, and wrapping depending on how tokens are offered and used.

On March 17, the SEC and CFTC released joint interpretive guidance detailing how federal securities laws apply to crypto assets and network activities such as staking, mining, and airdrops. The document also introduces a government-recognized token taxonomy and describes how a non-security crypto asset could be tied to an investment contract temporarily, and how that contract may end under the framework.

On Tuesday, the SEC released a 68-page interpretation, joined by the CFTC, arguing that most cryptocurrencies should not be treated as securities. The document lays out a token taxonomy covering stablecoins, digital commodities and "digital tools," and explains how mining, protocol staking and airdrops fit under federal securities laws. It also describes when a non-security crypto asset could become tied to an investment contract based on issuer conduct.

Texas-based apparel firm Beba and the DeFi Education Fund have asked a federal court in Texas to voluntarily dismiss their 2024 pre-enforcement suit challenging the SEC's approach to token airdrops. The filing was made without prejudice, allowing the plaintiffs to revive the same claims later, and it points to the SEC Crypto Task Force's work plus remarks by Commissioner Hester Peirce, including a May suggestion that an exemption framework for airdrops is being considered.