SEC Chairman Paul Atkins just delivered a stirring speech at the OECD Roundtable on Global Financial Markets in Paris. He declared that “crypto’s time has come,” and laid out his vision for bold policy changes.
Some of the highlights include a firm commitment to ongoing processes while addressing new initiatives. In particular, he highlighted on- chain Capital and enabling integrated “super app” trading platforms.
SEC's Atkins Ready for More
Paul Atkins has taken on a pro-industry regulatory Vai since becoming SEC Chairman this year,announcing Project Crypto in July .
He has been a regular contributor, launching anew partnership with the CFTC less than a week ago, but a recent speech in Paris revealed he wants to achieve even more:
“New technology…is revolutionizing global finance. It seems only fitting, here just steps from Avenue Victor Hugo, to summon his words for our moment: ‘an invasion by armies can be resisted, but not an idea whose time has come.’ Today, ladies and gentlemen, we must acknowledge that the time of crypto has come,” he said.
Atkins mentioned a number of market factors he wanted the SEC to focus on, including foreign investment, accounting standards, financial materiality, and more. However, he focused most of his attention on the crypto industry, drawing up a list of significant policy commitments.
Ongoing support and new priorities
First, Atkins asserted that the SEC is fully on board with Trump’s fight against crypto enforcement . He emphasized the economic damage of over-regulation, arguing that federal agencies must be careful not to discourage investment.
Atkins further stated his intention to clearly define that most Token are not securities , and listed a few other policy goals:
“We must ensure that entrepreneurs can raise Capital on- chain without endless regulatory uncertainty. And we must enable ‘super app’ exchange platform innovation that increases choice for market participants. Platforms should be able to offer trading, lending and Staking under a single regulatory umbrella,” Atkins added.
To achieve these goals, Atkins stated that the SEC will continue to build new partnerships with other regulators, international partners, and more. He did not explicitly mention soliciting input from crypto industry stakeholders, but this has been a key part of the SEC’s recent pro-crypto initiatives .
The CFTC recently revealed just how committed a regulator can be to initiating bold changes to crypto policy under the Trump administration. Despite the many accomplishments, Paul Atkins appears poised to continue the momentum.
This firm commitment could signal powerful new opportunities.
