US SEC Division of Corporation Finance Deputy Director Cicely LaMothe retires…led establishment of virtual asset policy

Cicely LaMothe, deputy director of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Division of Corporation Finance who has played a key role in establishing internal guidelines related to virtual assets (cryptocurrencies), is retiring.

On the 29th (local time), according to The Block, the SEC officially announced LaMothe's retirement in a statement. LaMothe said in the statement, "The work has been very challenging and rewarding, and I have learned a lot from colleagues who have dedicated themselves to this important mission."

Over the past year, LaMothe led important internal staff statements that helped shape the SEC's interpretive stance on virtual assets. Notably, she was involved in an interpretation that meme coins do not constitute securities and in preparing guidance that set out the SEC's position on virtual asset staking. She also led the development of regulatory policies across corporate disclosures, including policy recommendations related to the draft submission of corporate registration statements.

With LaMothe's retirement, a key figure who has led interpretation of policies and the maintenance of guidelines on virtual assets within the SEC's Division of Corporation Finance is stepping down, raising the possibility of some changes to the SEC's future regulatory direction on virtual assets.