SEC Chairman Atkins: 'You Haven't Seen Anything Yet' - Rapid Crypto Regulatory Steps Coming in 2026

Source: CryptoNewsNet Original Title: Surprise Statement from SEC Chairman Atkins: ‘Rapid Steps Coming for Crypto in the New Year!’ Here Are the Details Original Link: Speaking at the Blockchain Association Policy Summit in Washington, DC, SEC Chairman Paul Atkins stated that the agency will enter 2026 with an extremely busy and accelerated agenda regarding crypto assets, emphasizing “You haven’t seen anything yet.”

Atkins noted that policy drafts prepared in recent months will turn into concrete steps in the new year, saying “All the seeds we plant this year will begin to sprout next year. Then we will reap the rewards.” He drew particular attention to work related to the legal classification of digital assets.

Key Initiatives

Since taking office last month, Atkins has announced several major initiatives:

• Token Taxonomy Plan: Aimed at clarifying when cryptocurrencies qualify as securities
• Project Crypto: An initiative to update the SEC’s rules on digital assets
• Innovation Exemption: A mechanism to expedite the launch of crypto products

Shift in Regulatory Approach

This represents a distinct departure from the tougher, litigation-focused stance of his predecessor, Gary Gensler. Under Gensler’s tenure, the SEC sued numerous large crypto companies and faced criticism for classifying many tokens as securities.

New Year Agenda

Atkins indicated that one of the first items on the agenda would be an “innovation exemption” that would provide conditional and time-limited regulatory flexibility for fintech and crypto projects. He suggested this regulation could be published towards the end of January.

Regarding token taxonomy, Atkins emphasized that Congress plays a crucial role, noting that a comprehensive bill on crypto regulation is being pushed forward rapidly in the Senate, though negotiations remain fragile. “We’ll see what Congress comes up with by then,” he stated.