U.S. SEC Chair: Will Promote On-Chain Capital Market Reforms and Clarify Boundaries of Digital Asset Securities

Odaily reported that U.S. SEC Chair Paul S. Atkins stated during his speech at the 2026 Reagan National Economic Forum that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is advancing a "New Era SEC" regulatory reform, with a focus on modernizing digital asset regulation, fostering the development of on-chain capital markets, and supporting the United States in becoming the "global crypto hub."

Paul Atkins criticized the SEC's previous "regulatory hostility" towards the digital asset industry, noting that much crypto innovation was consequently forced overseas. He stated that with the support of the Trump administration, the SEC has launched "Project Crypto" and is collaborating with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to promote market infrastructure on-chain and harmonize crypto regulation. The SEC has recently clarified which digital assets are considered securities and which are not, and is advancing an innovation exemption mechanism for "tokenized listed securities," while also studying how on-chain trading systems can fit within the existing regulatory framework.

Furthermore, Paul Atkins emphasized that the SEC will reduce "over-disclosure" and regulatory burdens, promoting a "Make IPOs Great Again" reform. This includes lowering compliance costs for listed companies, increasing IPO flexibility, and formally proposing the repeal of the climate disclosure rules introduced during the previous administration. The future of U.S. capital markets should be built on the foundation of "free markets and innovation-driven growth," and the role of regulators should be to provide clear rules and legal certainty, not to suppress technological development.