SEC Chairman Paul Atkins outlined on May 8, 2026, before the Special Competitive Studies Project AI+ Expo how the agency intends to update regulations for on-chain markets. The SEC is evaluating formal rulemaking on how securities laws apply to blockchain-based trading systems. Atkins urged Congress to advance the CLARITY Act for stronger certainty than agency rulemaking alone, while pausing aggressive enforcement under predecessor Gary Gensler.
SEC Innovation Pathway proposal
- ▪The SEC under Paul Atkins proclaimed that the SEC will keep moving forward in its work to accommodate markets moving onchain
- ▪Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins outlined how the SEC intends to update its regulations for onchain markets on May 8, 2026
- ▪Paul Atkins delivered remarks before the Special Competitive Studies Project AI+ Expo on May 8, 2026
Regulatory scope expansion
- ▪The SEC is examining when yield-bearing crypto vaults should be regulated by the Securities Act and Advisers Act
- ▪The SEC is evaluating formal rulemaking regarding how securities laws apply to onchain trading systems
- ▪The SEC is assessing when existing regulations governing exchanges, broker-dealers, and clearing agencies should apply to blockchain-based trading protocols, software interfaces, and settlement infrastructure
CLARITY Act status
- ▪Paul Atkins urged Congress to progress the CLARITY Act to President Trump's desk
- ▪Paul Atkins argued that the CLARITY Act legislation will provide stronger long-term certainty than agency rulemaking alone
- ▪The SEC under Paul Atkins is working to bring onchain markets within the existing regulatory fold while the CLARITY Act remains stalled
Atkins enforcement posture
- ▪The SEC has made clear that it will not allow crypto markets to operate in regulatory limbo indefinitely
- ▪The SEC under Paul Atkins paused the wave of aggressive enforcement actions levied under Gary Gensler's management
- ▪The SEC is already equipped with tools it needs to police the crypto industry even absent the passage of the CLARITY Act
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