The SEC welcomes the new leadership as its new chairman promises to overhaul crypto regulation, signaling a powerful shift toward innovation, clarity, and growth-promoting policies for digital assets.
Future SEC Chair Aims to Reshape Priorities as Crypto Takes Center Stage
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced the appointment of Paul Atkins as the agency’s next chair on April 9. The announcement followed Atkins’ formal confirmation by the U.S. Senate and marks his return to a leadership role at the commission, where he previously served as a commissioner. The SEC statement reads:
We welcome Paul Atkins as the next chair of the SEC. As a veteran of our commission, we look forward to him joining us, along with our dedicated staff, to fulfill our mission on behalf of investors.
Other SEC Commissioners include Mark T. Uyeda, Hester M. Peirce, and Caroline A. Crenshaw. Uyeda, a Republican, is serving as acting SEC chair following the departure of former chair Gary Gensler. Appointed as commissioner in 2022, he has held senior positions at the SEC since 2006, having previously served in the U.S. Senate and executive branch agencies. Peirce, a Republican and appointed in 2018, leads the SEC’s new Crypto Working Group and focuses on regulatory clarity. Crenshaw, a Democrat confirmed in 2020, is a major in the U.S. Army Reserve and previously held several positions on the SEC staff.
In a congressional hearing last month, Atkins said that the lack of regulatory clarity in cryptocurrency markets is hampering growth and creating uncertainty. “Since 2017, when I led industry efforts to develop best practices for the digital asset industry, I have observed how ambiguous and nonexistent regulations for digital assets create uncertainty in the market and stifle innovation,” he explained. “A top priority of my tenure as chairman will be to work with my fellow commissioners and Congress to provide a sound regulatory foundation for digital assets through a rational, consistent, and principled approach,” the incoming SEC chairman affirmed.
“In a vote of 52-44, the Senate confirmed Paul Atkins as the next chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission,” Fox Business journalist Eleanor Terrett reported on social media platform X on April 9. She noted that “Atkins may have made history tonight as the first SEC commissioner to be confirmed three times by the Senate. Once in 2002, again in 2003, and now in 2025,” adding:
What happens next? The Senate will send Atkins’ confirmation to the White House, where President Donald Trump will sign it off.
“Once that happens, Atkins will be officially sworn in. The timeline for these next steps is currently unclear,” she noted.
Atkins takes over the chair position at a time of strategic realignment at the SEC, particularly regarding the agency’s approach to regulating digital assets. Following Gensler’s departure, the SEC has moved away from its enforcement strategy in the crypto sector. Ongoing cases against cryptocurrency companies have been dropped, and the agency’s tone has shifted toward policy development through dialogue. The Crypto Working Group has intensified outreach efforts and signaled a willingness to develop tailored regulations in collaboration with industry leaders.
[newsletter_form lists="1"]
