SEC Chair Atkins on the SEC's Role in Making U.S. the “Crypto Capital of the Planet”

Keynote Address at the Crypto Task Force Roundtable on Tokenization

In order for the United States to be the “crypto capital of the planet” as envisioned by President Trump, the Commission must keep pace with innovation and consider whether regulatory changes are needed to accommodate on-chain securities and other crypto assets. Rules and regulations designed for off-chain securities may be incompatible with or unnecessary for on-chain assets and stifle the growth of blockchain technology.

A key priority of my Chairmanship will be to develop a rational regulatory framework for crypto asset markets that establishes clear rules of the road for the issuance, custody, and trading of crypto assets while continuing to discourage bad actors from violating the law. Clear rules of the road are necessary for investor protection against fraud – not the least to help them identify scams that do not comport with the law.

It is a new day at the SEC. Policymaking will no longer result from ad hoc enforcement actions. Instead, the Commission will utilize its existing rulemaking, interpretive, and exemptive authorities to set fit-for-purpose standards for market participants. The Commission’s enforcement approach will return to Congress’ original intent, which is to police violations of these established obligations, particularly as they relate to fraud and manipulation.

Is now the time to seek relief from SEC industry bars and professional suspensions?

Historically, applications for reentry and reinstatement have taken months or years for the SEC staff to process and, subsequently, for the Commission to consider and vote on the staff recommendations. But the SEC’s recent actions granting reentries and reinstatements may indicate a new willingness to act on these applications.

The SEC may be seeking to limit its vulnerability to court challenge of its bars and attorney and accountant suspensions, particularly in light of SEC v. Jarkesy, 603 U.S. 109 (2024). To the extent that an SEC bar or professional suspension can be characterized as punitive, as opposed to remedial, it may give rise to a jury-trial right under Jarkesy.

Allowing reentries and reinstatements may make them appear more of an equitable-type remedy where a right to a jury did not traditionally attach. This consideration may, in part, explain the four accountant reentries in 2024 and two in 2025, which were straightforward applications of the existing reinstatement process for accountants.

Paris police hunt armed suspects after attempted kidnapping of crypto entrepreneur’s daughter, grandchild

Police in Paris are searching for a group of armed men who allegedly attempted to kidnap a cryptocurrency entrepreneur’s 34-year-old daughter and her two-year-old child on Tuesday, according to local media reports. The attempted kidnapping happened in broad daylight and appears to have been caught on camera.

A video taken from a nearby security camera shows three masked men attempting to apprehend the victims at around 8:20 a.m. local time on the Rue Pache in the 11th arrondissement. The woman’s husband was able to scare away the assailants, who abandoned their vehicle a few streets away.

Police told the French-language publication Le Parisien that the woman is the daughter of a crypto CEO.

Coinbase to Join S&P 500 Next Week in Crypto-Market Milestone

Coinbase Global Inc., the largest US cryptocurrency exchange, will be added to the S&P 500 Index in the latest milestone for the booming digital-asset industry. The company will replace Discover Financial Services in the index prior to the start of trading on May 19, S&P Dow Jones Indices said in a press release. Shares of Coinbase were up 13% in after-hours trading.

The inclusion of Coinbase is viewed as a vindication by crypto faithfuls who helped President Donald Trump win the election in November.

Trump Family Bitcoin Company Announces Plan to Go Public

American Bitcoin, a cryptocurrency firm co-founded by Eric Trump, announced on Monday that it would become publicly traded, the latest expansion of the Trump family’s investments across the crypto industry.

The company, which focuses on Bitcoin mining, is set to merge with Gryphon Digital Mining Inc., a firm that is already traded on the Nasdaq. Mr. Trump, the president’s middle son, is listed as one of the founders and a member of the company’s management team.