SEC Chair Paul Atkins is making waves with his friendlier stance on cryptocurrency, a refreshing change from the previous administration’s tighter approach. During his appearance at the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium, Atkins said that in his opinion, there are "very few" tokens that are actually securities. He added that the SEC isn’t rushing to classify all crypto assets as securities, focusing instead on the broader context, how these tokens are packaged and sold.
Project Crypto and a Vision for the Future
Atkins' comments come on the heels of the SEC’s "Project Crypto" launch last month, which he touts as an initiative to "modernize" securities laws and bring American financial markets into the on-chain world. A far cry from former SEC Chair Gary Gensler’s belief that most crypto assets were securities, Atkins has a more relaxed outlook.
"It is a new day, especially for this [crypto] industry," he said. "We are about innovation. Now we want to embrace innovation."
Preventing Regulatory Traps
His focus is on crafting a regulatory framework that prevents the crypto market from falling into unnecessary regulatory traps. Atkins even took to X to express his excitement about working with other government counterparts to "get the job done."
We must craft a framework that future proofs the crypto markets against regulatory mischief. I look forward to working with my counterparts across the Administration and Congress to get the job done.
— Paul Atkins (@SECPaulSAtkins) August 19, 2025
Analysts Praise Atkins' Vision
Some analysts are already hailing Atkins’ efforts as groundbreaking. Bernstein analysts have called the SEC’s Project Crypto initiative the "boldest and the most transformative crypto vision ever laid out by a sitting SEC chair." Bitwise CIO Matt Hougan has also jumped on the bandwagon, describing the project as a roadmap for crypto investing over the next five years. According to Atkins, it’s not just crypto; he envisions a future where all assets, stocks, bonds, and even dollars, eventually move on-chain.
Gunel Ismayilova
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