SEC Chair Says ‘Historic’ Crypto Clarity Lets Issuers Know Which Tokens Are Securities Before Launch

Atkins Says SEC Will Modernize Rules, Coordinate With CFTC, and End Enforcement-Driven Crypto Policy

Digital asset regulation moved to the forefront Tuesday as Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Paul Atkins outlined a broad effort to reshape how crypto markets are governed in the United States. Speaking at the Economic Club of New York on June 30, he presented “Project Crypto” as a cornerstone initiative designed to bring long-awaited clarity to digital asset regulation while adapting securities rules to blockchain-based markets.

The initiative is part of the SEC’s broader “ACT strategy”—Advance, Clarify, and Transform—which he described as intended to align the agency’s regulatory framework with modern financial innovation. He emphasized that the strategy seeks to define jurisdictional boundaries more clearly, update outdated rules, and create an environment that supports both investor protection and capital formation.

The SEC chairman said:

“Through what we’re calling Project Crypto, we are taking historic steps to modernize our rules and regulations to facilitate markets’ moving on-chain.”

He also emphasized that regulatory clarity is a central component of the initiative, noting: “A modernized framework is only as valuable as the clarity with which it is applied. Thus, the ‘C’ for clarity.”

SEC Expands Crypto Agenda Through New Oversight Framework

Atkins framed the new approach as a departure from previous regulatory practices that he argued created uncertainty for market participants. He noted that companies attempting to engage with regulators often encountered enforcement actions rather than clear guidance, contributing to a shift in innovation activity outside the United States even as domestic investors remained active in crypto markets.

A key component of the updated framework is increased coordination between the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). He explained that the agencies have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding aimed at aligning definitions, clarifying oversight responsibilities, and reducing regulatory overlap to create a more consistent supervisory structure for digital assets.

He stated:

“And after years of obscurity, we have delivered long-called-for certainty to digital asset issuers—so that investors and entrepreneurs today can know, before they act, whether a digital asset is considered a security and therefore subject to SEC oversight.”

The SEC’s enforcement posture is also evolving under the new strategy. He indicated that the agency is moving away from what he described as “regulation by enforcement” and will instead prioritize cases involving fraud, market manipulation, abuses of trust, and other conduct that directly harms investors. He outlined that the Commission plans to undertake a comprehensive review of its enforcement processes to ensure consistency with its updated regulatory approach.

Beyond digital assets, the SEC chief used the speech to highlight broader efforts to modernize U.S. capital markets. He pointed to initiatives aimed at simplifying public company fundraising, updating disclosure requirements, and encouraging more initial public offerings, arguing that transparent and predictable rules are essential for efficient markets. “To be clear: this is not a favor to industry—it is what markets require to function: clear rules of the road, applied without preference,” Atkins concluded.