LIVE: SEC’s Paul Atkins discusses Project Crypto

LIVE: SEC’s Paul Atkins discusses Project Crypto originally appeared on TheStreet.

ChatGPT said:SEC Commissioner Paul Atkins is speaking today on , an initiative aimed at exploring regulatory frameworks and market structures for digital assets. The discussion is expected to cover potential guidelines for token issuance, investor protection, and how blockchain innovation can coexist with existing securities laws. Atkins, a long-time proponent of balanced regulation, may also address industry concerns over compliance costs and innovation bottlenecks.

SEC Commissioner Paul Atkins is speaking today on Project Crypto, an initiative aimed at exploring regulatory frameworks and market structures for digital assets.

The discussion covered potential guidelines for token issuance, investor protection, and how blockchain innovation can coexist with existing securities laws. Atkins, a long-time proponent of balanced regulation, may also address industry concerns over compliance costs and innovation bottlenecks.

Atkins: SEC will not stand by while innovation moves overseas

“It [Project Crypto] is to modernize rules and regulations, enabling America’s financial markets to move on chain and make America the crypto capital of the world,” SEC Chairman Paul Atkins said in a Fox Business exclusive. “The SEC will not stand by and watch innovations develop overseas, that it’s going to happen here.”

He explained that a couple of weeks ago, the administration issued the President's Working Group report on digital assets, giving “clear recommendations for us to go forward and help make what the President has announced… a reality.”

Mobilizing the SEC for blockchain clarity

Atkins said the SEC is mobilizing across all divisions — Corporation Finance, Investment Management, and others — to ensure that rules “encompass the crypto assets” and give clarity to market participants.

The recently enacted GENIUS Act, signed at the White House, was called “a very good step forward” and part of ongoing legislative momentum. “When [Congress] return[s] from their recess… look forward to much more forward progress,” he added.

Rewriting custody rules

On custody, Atkins emphasized that changes are needed to the Exchange Act, Advisors Act, and Investment Company Act frameworks.
“We don’t want just crypto assets beyond some flash drive in somebody’s drawer. They need to be in a secure place, and especially if they’re held for investors.”

These 90-year-old rules will be adapted to modern realities, affecting broker-dealers, asset managers, and investment advisers. “The main reason for doing all this… is to provide some certainty for people… after a hostile environment… lawyers couldn’t give their clients opinions as to what was legal or not.”

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Payments and settlement speed

Discussing payments, Atkins noted that a North Dakota judge’s decision to void the Durbin debit interchange rule could be positive for alternative payments, including crypto.

He pointed to instant payment networks like FedNow: “If we move towards… pretty much instantaneous settlement and clearance… that will deliver huge benefits to the marketplace that we probably can’t even calculate right now.”

Expanding access to private markets

Atkins also addressed a recent executive order allowing 401(k) retirement plans to invest in private equity and crypto. “The number of public companies now is half of what it was… 30 years ago… you need to approach things with a diversification goal in mind. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”

Guardrails will be essential: “We can’t… fling the gates open… you have to know… the shoal waters… [and] the fees… the liquidity issues.”

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac IPO possibility

On President Trump’s reported plan to monetize the government’s stake in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, potentially a $30+ billion IPO, Atkins said: “We stand by to help… as far as looking at the disclosure and helping that transaction come to pass, if indeed the administration decides to do that.”

LIVE: SEC’s Paul Atkins discusses Project Crypto first appeared on TheStreet on Aug 15, 2025

This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Aug 15, 2025, where it first appeared.

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