• Former SEC Commissioner Paul S. Atkins is now again to steer the committee.
• The brand new chair has developed greatest practices for digital belongings whereas beforehand working for the SEC.
• The SEC underneath Atkins faces selections for over 70 Crypto ETF purposes.

In key regulatory developments, Paul S. Atkins is formally sworn in because the thirty fourth Chair of the Securities and Trade Fee (SEC). A well-known face of the company, Atkins returns to pivotal moments, bringing him deep expertise in monetary markets and digital belongings. His appointment underneath President Donald Trump illustrates the doable modifications within the SEC’s strategy to innovation, capital formation and cryptocurrency surveillance.

Atkins’ appointment shouldn’t be a sudden determination. After Donald Trump took over the workplace on January 20, 2025, he appointed a former committee to steer the company. Nonetheless, the affirmation course of was delayed because the Senate required time to evaluate the monetary scenario of Atkins and his spouse. It then acquired approval from 52-44 votes earlier this month. Particularly, even Gary Gensler, the previous SEC chairman, took over the workplace in April when he was appointed in January 2021.

Atkins achievements

When Atkins served as SEC commissioner underneath President George W. Bush from 2002 to 2008, he helped promote transparency and cost-benefit evaluation in regulatory manufacturing. He additionally led the SEC delegation to a gathering of the President’s Working Group on Monetary Markets and the US Transatlantic Financial Council.

Later, after shifting out of SEC in 2009, Atkins based consulting agency Patomak World Companions, the place he targeted on regulatory methods and greatest practices for the event of the digital asset sector. Individually, Atkins served as an unbiased director and non-executive chairman of Bats World Markets from 2012 to 2015. In keeping with an official SEC press launch, Atkins mentioned after the ceremony

I honour President Trump’s belief, belief and confidence, and the Senate was positioned on me to steer the SEC. Returning to the SEC, we’re delighted to have the ability to work with fellow commissioners and devoted consultants from our establishments to advertise our mission to advertise capital formation. Preserve a good, orderly, environment friendly market. Defend traders.

70 ETF pending approvals

Following the appointment, Atkins will likely be handed over to performing chair Mark Ueda. Particularly, underneath the Uyeda administration, the Cryptocurrency Process Pressure was launched in January 2025 and goals to enhance trade engagement. Moreover, the SEC has additionally rejected crypto-related enforcement measures similar to Coinbase, Consensys, Gemini and Uniswap.

Whereas Paul Atkins’ entry is gaining consideration, the brand new SEC chair is at the moment dealing with selections concerning greater than 70 crypto-related change fund purposes. In the meantime, ETF analyst James Balchunas defined that the applying ranges from “from XRP, Litecoin, Solana to Penguins, Doge and 2x Melania and every thing in between.”

Associated: Solana as XRP highlight, 72 Crypto ETF seeks SEC approval this 12 months

Exposing each conventional finance and crypto house, Atkins is positioned to pilot the SEC all through a interval of transformational market regulation.