As the U.S. gears up for President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming, crypto-friendly administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has the opportunity to reset its historically troubled relationship with the global digital asset industry and launch an era of transparency, cooperation, and well-reasoned regulation to bring much-needed clarity to digital asset market participants. We need to foster a culture of mutual trust – where the digital asset industry can have confidence in the SEC’s intentions, and the SEC can recognize that most digital asset participants are striving to operate responsibly.
President-elect Trump’s nominee for SEC Chair, Paul Atkins — a seasoned SEC veteran and member of The Digital Chamber’s advisory board — alongside Commissioners Peirce and Uyeda, both outspoken critics of the SEC’s anti-digital asset agenda in recent years, are ideally positioned to assess the agency’s actions across it’s divisions and offices. Together, we’re confident they can identify the problematic practices that have stymied the growth and innovation of digital asset market participants in so many ways.
It is not just time to end the “policy” of regulation by enforcement, but also to clear the decks of outdated and confusing former director and staff level speeches, letters and other informal and non-binding “guidance” that make it nearly impossible for current market participants to understand how to comply with the SEC’s rules and regulations. Finally, it is time for sensible and clear Commission statements, no-action letters, and bespoke rulemaking for the digital asset industry.
What’s Happening
TDC’s Token Alliance Leadership Committee is taking a proactive role in framing out an agenda for the SEC’s new Chair and Commission majority by offering a list of policy priorities designed to start the process of rebuilding trust with the global digital asset community. This week, members of the Token Alliance Leadership Committee met with the staff of SEC Commissioners Hester Peirce and Mark Uyeda to present our 2025 SEC Digital Asset Policy Priorities, which include:
- A timeline for action beginning on Day 1 to Day 90 of the new administration;
- A detailed list of critical and important policy priorities set out by division that should be addressed along that timeline.
We were very pleased by the openness of the dialogue during this meeting and a willingness for ongoing input and look forward to continuing to inform and engage with the SEC on these priorities.