Crypto Changes At SEC Face New Political Pressures Over Trump Ties

Paul Atkins congratulated by President Trump as he is sworn in to be the Chair of the Securities ... More Exchange Commission (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
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The winds are shifting at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission when it comes to crypto regulation. Under the new leadership of Chairman Paul Atkins — and with Commissioner Hester Peirce likely to take on an expanded role — the agency has begun moving toward a more structured, innovation-friendly approach to digital assets.
SEC Provides Meme Coin and Stablecoin Clarity
Two important regulatory developments have energized the crypto industry in recent months. In April, the SEC’s Division of Corporation Finance issued new staff statements on two major fronts: first, offering guidance on how so-called "meme coins" could be assessed under existing securities laws; and second, clarifying the agency’s approach to stablecoins and the circumstances under which they might be subject to federal securities regulation.
While the staff-level statements do not carry the force of formal rulemaking, they represent a material shift in tone — offering more predictability to market participants after years of regulatory uncertainty.
These initiatives build on the work of the SEC’s Crypto Task Force, an internal working group now operating with broader visibility. Commissioner Peirce, known to many in the industry as “CryptoMom,” is playing a key role in these discussions. Her longstanding advocacy for clear, technology-neutral regulation has restored a degree of optimism among innovators navigating an evolving compliance environment.
Atkins, for his part, has emphasized the need for creating “clear rules of the road” for crypto markets. In remarks at the SEC’s Crypto Task Force Roundtable on April 25, he argued that innovation had been “stifled” by ambiguous regulation and enforcement-first tactics. His pledge to shift the agency’s posture toward coherent, forward-looking policy marks a significant departure from the SEC’s previous approach.