Atkins Softens SEC Enforcement, Backs Crypto Growth
SEC Commissioner Atkins drops regulatory hammer—then picks it back up with velvet gloves. Crypto markets respond with bullish momentum as enforcement rhetoric shifts from confrontation to collaboration.
The Regulatory Pivot
Atkins' stance signals seismic policy shift—no more playing whack-a-mole with blockchain projects. Instead, clear frameworks replace arbitrary enforcement actions. Suddenly compliance doesn't feel like navigating minefields blindfolded.
Market Impact
Trading volumes spike as institutional money cautiously dips toes back into digital assets. Bitcoin reclaims psychological thresholds while altcoins ride the regulatory relief rally. Even traditional finance dinosaurs start dusting off their blockchain playbooks—better late than never, right?
The New Playbook
Watch for streamlined token classification guidelines and simplified custody rules. The era of regulation-by-lawsuit might finally be ending. Though let's be real—Wall Street will still find ways to overcomplicate things and charge 2% management fees for the privilege.
Growth trajectory looks vertical as regulatory uncertainty clears. Finally—crypto gets to innovate without looking over its shoulder for SEC subpoenas.
Crypto regulation plans
On crypto, Atkins takes a very different stance from Gensler. He believes most tokens are not securities and wants to create rules for trading tokenized shares and bonds on blockchain, keeping activity in the U.S. rather than offshore.
Under Gensler, the SEC filed major lawsuits against crypto giants like Ripple (2020), Terraform Labs (2022), and Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken (2023), costing the industry billions in legal fees.
“We don’t want people doing this offshore,” he said, pointing to the 2022 collapse of Sam Bankman-Fried’s FTX. While many investors in the Bahamas-based exchange lost money, customers of its regulated U.S. arm got their funds back.
However, Atkins warned that companies already trading tokenized U.S. stocks should be cautious. He stressed that securities laws still apply and that rules are being developed for “smart contracts” that promise instant settlement of trades.
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