Recently, the latest regulatory guidelines released by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) may open up new development opportunities for the crypto assets market. This initiative specifically targets key areas such as initial coin offerings (ICO), decentralized finance (DeFi), and self-custody of digital assets, proposing a more flexible and inclusive regulatory framework, paving the way for compliance innovation in the crypto industry.

The SEC's new statement clearly affirms the importance of digital asset 'self-custody' for personal asset rights, which is seen as one of the cornerstones of the American free market. The SEC chairman emphasized that each user should have the right to decide how to hold and manage their crypto assets, including participating in staking, trading, and other on-chain activities through self-custody wallets. This position will greatly promote the development of crypto applications centered around individual sovereignty while creating vast development space for wallet developers and self-custody service providers. Users will no longer need to rely on centralized exchanges to participate in network governance, earn staking rewards, and enjoy the interoperability of DeFi, which could trigger a shift in crypto application user behavior from mere 'storage and access' to 'sovereign control'.

In addition, the DeFi and Automated Market Maker (AMM) ecosystems have also gained a certain level of regulatory tolerance, which means that on-chain finance is gradually moving towards a compliant gray area. For a long time, DeFi and AMM have faced regulatory challenges due to their decentralized nature. However, the SEC's new policies seem to provide more room for development for these innovative financial models.

This series of regulatory changes indicates that U.S. regulators are striving to find a balance between protecting investor interests and promoting financial innovation. This could not only attract more market participants and investments but also drive further development and application of encryption technology. However, market participants still need to act cautiously, closely monitor changes in the regulatory environment, and ensure that innovation is promoted on a compliant basis.