SEC Chair Paul Atkins: “Providing regulatory clarity for digital assets… a key task in 2026”

Paul Atkins, chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), said securing regulatory clarity for digital assets will be a key policy priority in 2026.

On the 11th (local time), Atkins shared details of his testimony to the U.S. Congress on X, saying that “we have made progress to protect investors and strengthen capital markets.”

He laid out the SEC’s 2026 priorities as: △strengthening enforcement focused on stamping out fraud △reforming the disclosure regime △providing regulatory clarity for digital assets.

Atkins said “a clear regulatory framework for digital assets has long been needed,” adding that “as Congress moves to finalize related legislation, we are working with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) through ‘Project Crypto’ to provide clarity on the regulatory obligations of investors and innovative companies.”

He also stressed that “we will refocus our enforcement capabilities on eradicating fraud and protecting investors,” noting that “through cross-border task forces, we are protecting investors in markets at home and abroad.”

On the disclosure regime, he said, “we will modernize and streamline the reporting system so that it provides investors with meaningful, easy-to-understand information.”

Atkins added, “the United States’ $124 trillion capital markets are the deepest and most liquid in the world,” and said, “working with the Trump administration, we will ensure the U.S. remains the safest and most attractive country for investment and doing business.”