Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Paul S. Atkins made a powerful statement about digital assets at the OECD's First Roundtable on Global Financial Markets in Paris on September 10, 2025. He stated:
Today, ladies and gentlemen, we must acknowledge: the time for cryptocurrencies has come.
In his view, the years-long reliance on enforcement actions has undermined U.S. competitiveness. As he remarked: 'For too long, the SEC has used its investigative, subpoena, and enforcement powers to stifle the cryptocurrency industry. This approach has been not only ineffective but harmful; it pushed jobs, innovation, and capital overseas. American entrepreneurs bore the brunt — and were forced to spend a fortune on legal defenses instead of running their businesses. That chapter is behind us.'
Discussing the 'Crypto Project,' Atkins emphasized that the agency is moving to a structured regulatory framework. 'This is a new day at the SEC. Policy will no longer be determined by random enforcement actions. We will provide clear and predictable rules of the game so that innovators can thrive in the United States,' he said. He linked the initiative directly to the White House's agenda: 'President Trump tasked me and my colleagues in the administration with making America the world's cryptocurrency capital — and the President's Working Group on Financial Markets has put forward a bold agenda to guide us in these efforts.'
The central element of the plan is legal clarity regarding the classification of tokens. Atkins explained:
Our priorities are clear: we must ensure certainty regarding the security status of crypto assets. Most crypto tokens are not securities, and we will draw clear boundaries.
In addition to classification, the SEC will support innovation in trading platforms and custody. Atkins noted: 'We must ensure that entrepreneurs can raise capital in the chain without endless legal uncertainty. And we must allow innovations of 'super apps' for trading platforms that increase choice for market participants. Platforms should be able to offer trading, lending, and staking under a single regulatory umbrella. Investors, advisors, and broker-dealers should have the freedom to choose among multiple asset custody solutions.'
The SEC chair added: 'Meanwhile, according to a recent report by the Working Group, the SEC will work with other agencies so that the platform can offer trading in crypto assets (whether they are securities or not), along with services such as staking and lending, under a single regulatory umbrella. I believe that regulators should provide the minimally necessary dose of regulation to protect investors, and no more. We should not overload entrepreneurs with duplicative rules that only the largest companies can bear.' Atkins positioned these reforms as the foundation for U.S. leadership in blockchain finance, designed to support innovation while ensuring necessary investor protections.
