SEC Chair Paul Atkins Says ‘You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet’ As Watchdog Prepares Bold Crypto Push

US Securities and Exchange (SEC) Chair Paul Atkins said that the best is yet to come for regulation of the crypto market industry.  

“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” the SEC Chair said at the Blockchain Association Policy Summit in Washington, DC, on Dec. 9. “As far as next year, all the seeds that we’ve planted will be able to start seeding and sprouting. Then we’ll be able to harvest the fruit.”

Atkins Says A Regulatory Relief Framework Top Priority For 2026

Atkins said that his top priority for 2026 will be his proposed “innovation exemption” for crypto and fintech projects. 

The exemption is a proposed conditional and time-limited regulatory relief framework meant to lower compliance costs and foster experimentation. 

“I hope in about a month or so, towards the end of January, we’ll be able to get that out,” he said. 

US Lawmakers Could Have Crypto Market Structure Markup Next Week

US lawmakers are also working on a markup for a key crypto market structure bill called the CLARITY Act. In recent months, progress around this bill has been slowed by a continuous back and forth between Republicans and Democrats in Congress. The longest US government shutdown in history led to further delays. 

Contract asking if CLARITY Act will be signed into law this year (Source: Polymarket)

The stalled progress around the CLARITY Act has dampened optimism that the CLARITY Act will be signed into law this year. Polymarket traders have placed the odds of this happening at just 7%. 

While the delays around the CLARITY Act persist, Senator Cynthia Lummis said that she anticipates that the markup hearing for the Responsible Financial Innovation Act would happen before Congress breaks for the holidays. 

A markup hearing involves lawmakers considering amendments and changes before a bill is sent to the Senate for a vote. 

SEC Has Laid A Strong Regulatory Foundation For Crypto

Atkins’ remarks come after US regulators, including the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), started implementing President Donald Trump’s pro-crypto agenda toward his goal to make the US the world’s “crypto capital.” 

A common theme with the SEC’s policy moves this year is an easing of regulations around digital asset firms. This comes in marked contrast to the regulation-by-enforcement approach adopted by former SEC Chair Gary Gensler that appeared aimed at stifling progress and innovation in the crypto space. 

In the middle of the year, the agency unveiled “Project Crypto,” a Commission-wide initiative that aims to modernize US securities regulations in a way that better accommodates blockchain, tokenization, and decentralized finance (DeFi). 

Shortly thereafter, the SEC also allowed in-kind creation and redemption of crypto ETPs (exchange-traded products), which allows these products to receive or return actual crypto assets when investors buy or redeem shares. This makes the products more tax efficient. 

In September, the SEC’s Division of Investment Management also issued a “no-action” letter that allows registered investment advisers, regulated funds, and issues to treat certain state trust companies as permissible “banks” for the custody of crypto assets. 

Also this year, the SEC approved generic listing standards for crypto ETFs (exchange-traded funds). These streamlined the approval process for new funds by removing the need for the SEC to review each application on a case-by-case basis.