The newly sworn-in SEC chair is set to make his highly anticipated debut with a speech that could ignite sweeping reforms and redefine the future of crypto regulation.
Paul Atkins’ First Speech as SEC Chair to Set Stage for Oversight Reform
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced on April 23 via its official account on social media platform X that Chairman Paul Atkins will deliver his inaugural remarks as chair during the upcoming roundtable on crypto custody.
The high-profile event, titled “Know Your Custodian: Key Considerations for Crypto Custody,” will take place on April 25 at SEC headquarters in Washington D.C., as part of the SEC Crypto Task Force’s ongoing efforts to clarify digital asset regulation. The SEC wrote:
SEC Chairman Paul Atkins will be giving remarks at our next crypto roundtable on April 25.
Atkins was added to the agenda previously released by the SEC. His remarks are expected to set the tone for the afternoon discussions, which will include two panels focused on digital asset custody among broker-dealers and investment advisory firms.
The event will also feature opening remarks from Commissioners Mark Uyeda, Caroline Crenshaw, and Hester Peirce, and an array of panelists drawn from top firms such as Fireblocks, Fidelity Digital Assets, Anchorage Digital Bank, Kraken, and Copper Technologies.
Legal scholars and regulatory veterans from institutions like Georgetown Law and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP will join in to assess the regulatory landscape. The roundtable, which is open for in-person attendance with registration, will also be streamed online without the need for registration. Panelists and moderators are slated to delve into how evolving custody rules intersect with federal securities laws and what that means for the future of crypto regulation.
Atkins was sworn in this week as the new chairman of the SEC, signaling a significant shift in the agency’s approach to digital asset regulation. A former SEC commissioner and longtime advocate for financial innovation, he emphasized his commitment to establishing a clear and stable regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies and other digital assets. He aims to move away from the previous enforcement-heavy stance, focusing instead on providing clarity and fostering innovation in the digital asset sector. The new SEC chair also highlighted the importance of keeping political considerations separate from securities regulation to maintain the integrity and objectivity of financial oversight.
