The White House has cleared a key step in a Labor Department proposal that could make it easier for 401(k) fiduciaries to consider alternative assets — including crypto — for retirement plans. What happened - The Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) completed its interagency review of the Labor Department’s proposal on March 24, listing the action as “consistent with change” and labeling it “economically significant.” - That sign-off removes one interagency hurdle. The Labor Department is expected to publish the proposal soon and open a 60-day public comment period before deciding on any revisions and a final rule. Why it matters for crypto - The proposal would change how fiduciaries evaluate alternative investments in defined‑contribution plans, potentially broadening the path for crypto-linked options to be considered alongside private equity, real estate and other alternatives. - The move follows two earlier shifts in federal policy: President Donald Trump’s Aug. 7, 2025, executive order directing agencies to expand access to alternative investments (specifically naming digital assets, private equity and real estate), and the Labor Department’s May 28, 2025 withdrawal of a 2022 compliance release that had urged plan fiduciaries to be “extremely cautious” about crypto in 401(k)s. Together these actions signal a softer federal stance on retirement-plan exposure to digital assets. Next steps and timeline - After the Labor Department publishes the proposal, stakeholders will have 60 days to submit comments. The department will then consider feedback and could issue a revised rule and, eventually, a final regulation. - If advanced, the proposal could give fiduciaries clearer latitude to analyze and add crypto exposure where appropriate. State-level developments - States are also moving: on Feb. 25, 2026, Indiana lawmakers passed a bill requiring certain state retirement and savings plans to offer a self-directed brokerage option that includes at least one crypto investment option by July 1, 2027. Scale of the opportunity - The retirement market is enormous: the Investment Company Institute reported U.S. retirement assets reached a record $48.1 trillion as of Sept. 30, 2025. Even small allocations to digital assets could represent significant inflows if policies keep shifting in crypto’s favor. Bottom line This regulatory advance doesn’t finalize any rule, but it removes a major procedural barrier and brings a potentially crypto-friendly change to 401(k) policy closer to reality. Watch the Labor Department’s publication and the 60-day comment period for the next concrete signals of how broadly crypto could be integrated into employer-retirement plans. Read more AI-generated news on: undefined/news