SEC Chair Reveals Key Regulatory Roadmap Ahead - What’s Next for Crypto Markets?

Wall Street's top cop just laid out the battle plan.

The Enforcement Agenda

Digital assets sit squarely in the crosshairs. Expect heightened scrutiny on trading platforms, token offerings, and custody arrangements. The commission's targeting everything from registration compliance to market manipulation schemes.

Investor Protection Push

Retail traders get front-row attention. Disclosure requirements tighten while enforcement actions multiply. The message echoes clear: play by traditional rules or face traditional consequences.

Global Coordination Efforts

No jurisdiction operates alone anymore. International watchdogs sync strategies, sharing intelligence and enforcement tactics. Regulatory arbitrage opportunities shrink by the day.

Innovation vs Regulation

They claim to walk the fine line between fostering technology and preventing fraud. Critics see another power grab dressed in protective clothing—because nothing says 'consumer protection' like creating more compliance jobs.

Markets brace for impact as the regulatory machinery grinds forward. Another day, another attempt to fit decentralized pegs into centralized holes.

Atkins compared to Gensler

During the DeFi and American Spirit roundtable in June, Atkins explained the need for the conditional exemption relief framework in order to encourage developers.

Meanwhile, the SEC is working on new rules that Atkins argues will replace outdated securities laws applied to the crypto space.

The previous SEC chairman, Gary Gensler, treated various cryptocurrencies as unregistered securities. Still, many of the sector’s U.S.-based brands thrived, including Coinbase, Strategy, Robinhood, Ripple, and Circle. 

However, many crypto pros insist that Gensler’s cautious approach to the emerging industry left the U.S. behind Europe and the UK in terms of access to cryptocurrency markets and services. For example, Coinbase’s staking service is not available in five states. 

For years, Americans have faced challenges in participating in airdrops, buying spot ETFs, perpetual futures, and tokenized securities, as well as accessing the largest crypto exchanges, among other issues. That’s not the scenario in the UK and Europe. Estonia, one of the countries that pioneered nation-level blockchain adoption, offered tokenized securities back in 2019.

‘Make IPOs great again’

As for the plans not directly associated with crypto, Atkins said that he wants to “make IPOs great again.” He stressed that ordinary investors need to diversify their portfolios, but it’s not an easy task in the current circumstances.

According to the SEC chair, the number of public companies has shrunk by 50% in the last 30 years. He explained that going public became too burdensome in terms of regulation, compliance, reporting, and other requirements. That’s why not many companies are seeking to become public.

The fact that the top public corporations are all tech companies increases risks. So, Atkins sees the solution in streamlining and safeguarding ordinary investors’ access to private funds.

In general, Atkins’s appearance on Bartiromo’s “Mornings with Maria” indicated the SEC chair’s effort to allow U.S. crypto companies to self-regulate and provide retail investors with a broader set of investment options.