SEC Chair Clayton: Bitcoin needs to be 'better regulated' before it is traded on major exchanges

Speaking at a conference today hosted by CNBC and Institutional Investor, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Jay Clayton said that bitcoin would need better regulation before being listed for trading on major traditional exchanges like NYSE or Nasdaq.

“If [investors] think there’s the same rigor around that price discovery as there is on the Nasdaq or New York Stock Exchange ... they are sorely mistaken,” said Clayton. “We have to get to a place where we can be confident that trading is better regulated.”

Clayton's comments come a few days after VanEck and SolidX's decision to withdraw their bitcoin ETF proposal. Earlier this month, Clayton also said that while "progress is being made" on the bitcoin ETF, bitcoin businesses still need to address some of the SEC's lingering concerns, citing crypto custody and the threat of price manipulation on unregulated exchanges.