SEC’s Crypto Capers: What’s Next in the Wacky World of Regulation?

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What ho, old bean! As the wheels of Washington’s CLARITY Act spin like a punctured bicycle, SEC Chair Paul Atkins has popped up at ETH Denver to spill the beans on the agency’s crypto shenanigans. Jolly good show, what?

Standing shoulder to shoulder with the indefatigable Commissioner Hester Peirce-a sort of crypto-rule crusader, if you will-Atkins let slip that the SEC is gearing up for a regulatory romp in the months ahead. Brace yourselves, chaps!

The SEC’s 2026 Crypto Carry-On

When quizzed about this year’s crypto capers, Atkins revealed that the SEC will be juggling legislative coordination with their own “Project Crypto,” now a joint jaunt with the CFTC. Talk about a bureaucratic barn dance!

Among the forthcoming frolics is a formal framework to decipher when a crypto asset becomes an investment contract. Quite the conundrum, eh? Atkins also hinted at an “innovation exemption,” allowing tokenized securities to tango on new platforms. Bold move, Atkins, bold move.

Not content with that, the SEC is concocting a rule proposal for “common-sense” crypto capital raising. No more head-scratching, presumably. And let’s not forget no-action letters and exemptive orders-guidance for digital wallets and the like. Jolly decent of them, I must say.

Custody rules are also on the menu. Atkins assured us the SEC is hashing out how broker-dealers can safeguard non-security crypto assets, including those pesky payment stablecoins. And blockchain’s growing role in ownership records? They’re on it like a terrier on a trouser leg.

Rules, Not Ruckus

Addressing the recent crypto price plunge, Atkins gave the market downturns a firm “not our circus, not our monkeys.” He insisted the SEC’s job isn’t to fret over daily fluctuations but to ensure investors aren’t left in the dark. Quite right-markets will market, after all.

Regulators, he quipped, should stick to crafting clear rules, leaving investors to decide whether to buy, sell, or hold. A bit of common sense in a world of chaos, eh?

Finally, Atkins reiterated the need to clarify tokenized securities’ place in the regulatory maze. Collaboration is key, he said, welcoming input from all corners-even the crypto cynics. A regular democracy, this crypto business!

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2026-02-20 13:32