The regulatory gap emerging in digital assets

Technology is moving faster than the frameworks designed to oversee it, leaving managers navigating an unusual regulatory moment where the SEC appears to be stepping back just as digital‑asset activity, AI adoption and market infrastructure become more complex. The result is a widening gap between innovation and oversight and growing uncertainty about how long this deregulatory tone will last.

At GAIM Ops Cayman 2026, Matthew Siano, President at Siano Services, LLC, unpacked this shift. The conversation explores the blind spots emerging for quant and digital‑asset managers, the missing clearing and settlement protections in today’s crypto markets, and why regulators may be signalling support for digital assets without addressing the operational realities beneath them.

Explore the full interview with Matthew Siano to hear how today’s regulatory gaps are shaping the future of digital‑asset oversight — and what managers should be preparing for next:

"Regulators are making big statements about digital assets without addressing the operational realities underneath."

— Matthew Siano, GAIM Ops Cayman 2026

Key topics from the conversation

• The unusual regulatory slowdown that is reshaping manager expectations
• Blind spots for quant and digital‑asset managers as technology outpaces oversight
• Missing clearing, settlement and custody infrastructure in today’s crypto markets
• Regulatory focus that overlooks operational realities
• The next major shift in digital‑asset oversight as tokenization accelerates
• How managers adapt as innovation moves faster than governance

A taste of the discussion

The interview explores the widening gap between regulatory intent and operational reality. From the absence of DTCC‑style protections in digital‑asset markets to the disconnect between how firms describe their technology and how it is actually used. He also examines why today’s deregulatory tone feels so unusual, and how this moment is exposing blind spots for both managers and regulators as innovation accelerates.

As digital‑asset activity expands and new technologies reshape trading and infrastructure, the conversation turns to the risk of assuming the current environment will last. Instead, Matthew suggests the industry may be heading toward a more conventional regulatory posture, with greater scrutiny on the operational plumbing that underpins resilient markets.

Want more conversations like this? Join the community at GAIM Ops West, October 25–27, 2026 at Waldorf Astoria Monarch Beach, CA.