Trump confirms nomination of Paul Atkins as the new SEC chair

President-elect Donald Trump confirmed Paul Atkins’ nomination as the next US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chairman in a Dec. 4 Trust Social post.

Trump stated that Atiks “recognizes that digital assets and other innovations are crucial to making America greater than ever before.”

He added:

“Paul is a proven leader for common sense regulations. He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World.”

Atkins, a former SEC Commissioner from 2002 to 2008, is known for his advocacy of free-market principles and investor protection and his focus on clarifying complex financial markets.

During his previous tenure at the SEC, Atkins championed policies to enhance market transparency and improve financial disclosures.

In addition to being the CEO and Founder of Patomak Global Partners, a risk management consultancy, Atkins is also the co-chairman of the Digital Chamber’s Token Alliance, a role he has held since 2017.

This connection to the crypto sector has led many to believe he could be the right candidate to address ongoing regulatory uncertainties surrounding digital assets in the US.

Background on the nomination

Atkins’ nomination comes after weeks of speculation and discussions regarding the best candidate to lead the SEC.

Before Trump’s team interviewed Atkins on Nov. 27, a wide array of names were rumored to be under consideration, including SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda, former Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chair Heath Tarbert, and Robert Stebbins, a Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP partner.

The rumors included former Binance.US executive Brian Brooks, Robinhood’s chief legal officer Dan Gallagher, and SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce.

Mentioned in this article

Posted In: US, Crypto, Featured, Politics, Regulation

Author

Gino Matos

Reporter at CryptoSlate

Gino Matos is a law school graduate and a seasoned journalist with six years of experience in the crypto industry. His expertise primarily focuses on the Brazilian blockchain ecosystem and developments in decentralized finance (DeFi).

Editor

Assad Jafri

Editor & Reporter at CryptoSlate

AJ, a passionate journalist since Yemen's 2011 Arab Spring, has honed his skills worldwide for over a decade. Specializing in financial journalism, he now focuses on crypto reporting.

Disclaimer: Our writers' opinions are solely their own and do not reflect the opinion of CryptoSlate. None of the information you read on CryptoSlate should be taken as investment advice, nor does CryptoSlate endorse any project that may be mentioned or linked to in this article. Buying and trading cryptocurrencies should be considered a high-risk activity. Please do your own due diligence before taking any action related to content within this article. Finally, CryptoSlate takes no responsibility should you lose money trading cryptocurrencies.

Ethiopia’s Bitcoin mining surge now accounts for 2.5% of global hash rate

New York Mayor Eric Adams has the last laugh as Bitcoin hovers near $100k

Australia’s ASIC explores stablecoins, wrapped tokens in new crypto framework

Grayscale files application to convert Solana trust into spot ETF

Congressman French Hill vows to probe banking exclusion of crypto businesses