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US Securities and Exchange (SEC) Chairman Paul Atkins said the best is yet to come when it comes to regulating the crypto market sector.
“You haven’t seen anything yet,” the SEC chairman said at the Blockchain Association Policy Summit in Washington, DC, on December 9. “Starting next year, all the seeds we planted can start to sow and germinate. Then we can harvest the fruits.”
Today I join the @BlockchainAssn‘s Policy Summit for a fireside chat: “A Perspective from the SEC. »
Tune in at 4 p.m. ET!
– Paul Atkins (@SECPaulSAtkins) December 9, 2025
Atkins says regulatory relief framework top priority for 2026
Atkins said his top priority for 2026 will be his proposed “innovation exemption” for crypto and fintech projects.
The exemption is a proposed framework for conditional, time-limited regulatory relief intended to reduce compliance costs and encourage experimentation.
“Hopefully in about a month, towards the end of January, we can release that,” he said.
US Lawmakers May Have Crypto Market Structure Upgrade 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 on this bill has been slowed by continued back-and-forth between Republicans and Democrats in Congress. The longest U.S. government shutdown in history has led to further delays.
Contract asking if the CLARITY law will be enacted 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 estimate the chance of this happening at just 7%.
As delays surrounding the CLARITY Act persist, Sen. Cynthia Lummis said that it anticipates that the mark-up hearing for the Responsible Financial Innovation Act would take place before Congress recess.
A markup hearing involves lawmakers reviewing amendments and changes before a bill is sent to the Senate for a vote.
The SEC has established a solid regulatory foundation for crypto
Atkins’ remarks come after US regulators, including the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), began implementing President Donald Trump’s pro-crypto agenda with the aim of making the US the “crypto capital of the world.”
A common theme in the SEC’s policy actions this year is easing regulations regarding digital asset companies. This contrasts sharply with the regulation-by-enforcement approach taken by former SEC Chairman Gary Gensler, which appeared aimed at stifling progress and innovation in the crypto space.
Midyear, the agency unveiled “Project Crypto,” a Commission-wide initiative that aims to modernize U.S. securities regulations to better accommodate blockchain, tokenization, and decentralized finance (DeFi).
Shortly after, the SEC also authorized the creation and in-kind redemption of crypto ETPs (exchange-traded products), which allows these products to receive or return real crypto assets when investors purchase 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 allowing registered investment advisors, regulated funds, and issuances to treat certain state trust companies as “banks” authorized 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.
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