🗺️ SEC Crypto Task Force Launches 10‑City U.S. Tour
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)’s Crypto Task Force, led by Commissioner Hester Peirce, is embarking on a cross-country "roadshow" from August through December 2025. Their goal: to engage small, early-stage crypto startups—specifically those with fewer than 10 employees and less than two years in operation .
Cities on the itinerary:
– Aug 4: Berkeley, CA
– Aug 19: Boston
– Sep 4: Dallas
– Sep 15: Chicago
– Sep 25: NYC
– Oct 3: Irvine, CA
– Oct 24: Cleveland
– Oct 29: Scottsdale, AZ
– Nov 12: (2nd stop) NYC
– Dec 5: Ann Arbor, MI
Participation is open to founders and teams willing to share how regulatory frameworks impact early-stage innovation. The SEC is also offering a written comment track, with plans to publicly list participating projects to ensure transparency .
🎯 Why It Matters: A New Chapter in SEC Engagement
This tour is part of the broader Project Crypto, a post‑top-down shift that prioritizes bottom-up regulatory input over enforcement-only actions. The Task Force had already held roundtables in Washington, D.C., but the new roadshow brings accessibility nationwide to startups that couldn’t make it to the capital .
SEC Chair Paul Atkins has meanwhile unveiled a sweeping pro-innovation agenda, pushing for:
– Clear definitions of when a crypto token qualifies as a security
– Development of pathways and exemptions for token issuers, custody providers, and decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms
– A more streamlined approach toward tokenized securities and crypto ETFs
The strategy represents a sharp contrast to the prior SEC leadership, which leaned heavily on enforcement actions against fintechs and exchanges like Coinbase, Binance, and Kraken, many of which have now seen investigations paused or cases dismissed .
🧭 Implications for Startups & Industry
For small teams:
This is your shot: a voice in shaping crypto rules without hiring expensive lawyers or flying to D.C.
You can apply via [email protected] with—topic line "Crypto on the Road"—to request meetings at your city of choice .
For the broader crypto ecosystem:
This debut of on‑the-road engagement signals institutional willingness to gather input from wider stakeholders, including DeFi builders and Web3 entrepreneurs without deep pockets.
It may mark a pivot point toward policy that balances innovation with investor safety, potentially unlocking tokenized asset markets and cleaner routes to mainstream access.
✅ Bottom Line
Commissioner Peirce and the SEC’s Crypto Task Force are hitting the road with a clear message: small builders should be heard before crypto rules are finalized.
This nationwide listening tour—backed by a pro-business SEC chair and reforms under Project Crypto—marks a foundational shift in U.S. crypto policy.
Let me know if you'd like me to help draft an input for submission or explore how this might impact your startup’s compliance plans.