{"id":25736,"date":"2025-08-01T09:59:28","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T06:59:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forklog.com\/en\/the-sec-sets-out-a-plan-to-lure-crypto-back-to-america\/"},"modified":"2025-08-01T09:59:28","modified_gmt":"2025-08-01T06:59:28","slug":"the-sec-sets-out-a-plan-to-lure-crypto-back-to-america","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/the-sec-sets-out-a-plan-to-lure-crypto-back-to-america\/","title":{"rendered":"The SEC sets out a plan to lure crypto back to America"},"content":{"rendered":"

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair Paul Atkins announced<\/a> Project Crypto<\/span>, a comprehensive initiative to modernise rules and turn the country into the \u201cworld\u2019s crypto capital\u201d.<\/p>\n

The project follows directives from President Donald Trump and recommendations from the Digital Assets Working Group. According to Atkins, the SEC is shifting from \u201cregulation by enforcement\u201d to fostering conditions for innovation.<\/p>\n

Clear rules for tokens<\/h2>\n

The central task is to set clear rules for cryptocurrencies. Atkins said most of them are not securities.<\/p>\n

The Commission will draft guidance to help companies determine an asset\u2019s status: security, digital commodity or collectible. This should put an end to the \u201ctheatre of decentralisation\u201d and to the construction of complex offshore structures.<\/p>\n

For financial instruments that are deemed securities, the SEC will create a tailored rulebook. It will govern ICOs, airdrops and staking rewards. The aim is to encourage issuers to consider US investors\u2019 interests rather than sidestep them.<\/p>\n

A new approach to custody and trading<\/h2>\n

Atkins called the right to self-custody of keys a core American value. For custodial services such as brokerages, the regulator will ease requirements. This will expand the number of firms allowed to hold clients\u2019 crypto legally.<\/p>\n

The Commission will also back the creation of \u201csuper-apps\u201d. Under a single licence, platforms will be able to offer trading in securities and cryptoassets, as well as staking and lending services. That should lower regulatory burdens and intensify competition.<\/p>\n

DeFi integration and a \u201csandbox\u201d<\/h2>\n

The agency will update outdated rules to integrate on-chain systems into financial markets. The framework will create conditions for decentralised protocols such as automated market makers.<\/p>\n

In addition, the SEC plans to launch an innovation \u201csandbox\u201d. It will allow companies to bring to market new products that \u201cdo not fit existing frameworks\u201d quickly. Instead of rigid prescriptions, they will follow general principles aimed at protecting investors.<\/p>\n

Atkins stressed that \u201cthe US must not merely keep pace with the digital-assets revolution, but lead it\u201d.<\/p>\n

Spontaneous order versus regulatory overreach<\/h2>\n

The libertarian economist Yevgeny Romanenko believes the interests of the Commission and entrepreneurs are opposed. In a comment to ForkLog he explained this from the standpoint of the Austrian School of economics<\/a>.<\/p>\n

According to him, the best rules for a market niche form spontaneously, and the worst are imposed by regulators. The latter account only for officials\u2019 interests, ignoring market participants.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIf an official has a hammer in his hand, every problem will look to him like a nail. The SEC\u2019s arbitrariness in seeing a security where there is none has become a byword,\u201d Romanenko said.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He recalled the \u201cgraveyard of crypto projects\u201d caused by the agency and personally by its former head, Gary Gensler.<\/p>\n

Romanenko noted that Atkins\u2019s statement about cryptocurrencies is only his personal opinion, not the agency\u2019s position. Regulatory uncertainty therefore remains.<\/p>\n

According to the economist, calls for \u201cclear rules of the game\u201d do not come from those who want fair competition.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThey are demanded by those who dislike market rules. They expect to profit from proximity to the regulator and its \u2018clearing the field\u2019 of competitors,\u201d he concluded.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

A triumph of common sense?<\/h2>\n

In the view of Georgy Verbitsky, founder of the crypto-investor platform TYMIO, Project Crypto addresses the pressing problem of token classification. He noted that the absence of clear criteria creates a \u201cgrey zone\u201d and slows the industry\u2019s development.<\/p>\n

As a reference point, Verbitsky suggested Michael Saylor\u2019s model, which divides assets into four categories: digital tokens, securities, currencies and commodities. In his view, that logic would reduce regulatory uncertainty.<\/p>\n

Commenting on the \u201cdecentralisation theatre\u201d, he stressed the need to separate a token\u2019s classification from a project\u2019s architecture. Centralised and decentralised platforms require different, yet universal, regulatory rules.<\/p>\n

Verbitsky called Atkins\u2019s statement that most cryptocurrencies are not securities a \u201cstrong signal\u201d. He believes this offers hope for a more constructive stance by US authorities, though uncertainty will persist until clear criteria are set.<\/p>\n

The expert added that a move to regulatory \u201csandboxes\u201d and a more accommodating integration of DeFi protocols would be a \u201cpowerful shift\u201d for the industry. Such an approach would raise user and investor confidence by giving the industry clear rules and a safe environment for testing solutions.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cIn essence, this is the start of the normalisation of crypto finance in the US,\u201d Verbitsky concluded.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Regulation and the fight against scams<\/h2>\n

In the view of trader and Coen+ Telegram-channel author Vladimir Koen, the SEC head\u2019s initiative to regulate the crypto industry will work in full only after the CLARITY Act<\/a> is passed. He stressed that any Commission rules cannot take precedence over a federal law that applies in all states.<\/p>\n

Koen believes Atkins is \u201ctruly\u201d interested in separating digital assets. Those that are commodities will move under the oversight of the CFTC<\/span>. The rest will remain under the SEC. He called this a positive step, noting that \u201csome token characteristics do indeed fit the definition of securities\u201d.<\/p>\n

Koen suggested that regulators will introduce classifications for different types of assets. Separate rules may be created for NFTs, memecoins, yield-bearing assets and governance tokens.<\/p>\n

The expert also touched on the \u201cdecentralisation theatre\u201d. He noted that many projects, including those using Proof-of-Stake and most DAOs, are in fact not decentralised. In them, large tokenholders receive priority in voting and influence key decisions.<\/p>\n

Adopting clear rules in the autumn will open the door to capital inflows and new projects in the US, the trader believes. In his view, certainty will give investors more confidence and stimulate industry growth, including from companies in Europe and Asia.<\/p>\n

At the same time, Koen expects tighter oversight. He is confident regulators will actively fight abuses, impose hefty fines and forcibly shut down fraudulent projects.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThis is right, because there is too much scam in crypto. It is precisely because of the abundance of deception that we do not see a significant inflow of capital into altcoins. Investors are afraid, watching people constantly lose money,\u201d he emphasised.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Koen expressed hope that DeFi protocols will not face excessive restrictions or complex tax obligations such as quarterly reporting, which could hamper their operations.<\/p>\n

In his words, one of the main unresolved issues remains the introduction of KYC<\/span> procedures. A requirement for mandatory registration of DeFi founders as legal entities would create additional risks for them.<\/p>\n

The trader noted that the Securities and Exchange Commission moves slowly, but pressure from Trump could speed up the process. Koen expects regulatory clarity this year, leading to \u201ca flourishing of cool decentralised projects in the DeFi sector\u201d.<\/p>\n

The White House Digital Assets Working Group has published<\/a> recommendations on regulating the industry. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair Paul Atkins announced Project Crypto, a comprehensive initiative to modernise rules and turn the country into the \u201cworld\u2019s crypto capital\u201d. The project follows directives from President Donald Trump and recommendations from the Digital Assets Working Group. According to Atkins, the SEC is shifting from \u201cregulation by enforcement\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25735,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"select":"","news_style_id":"","cryptorium_level":"","_short_excerpt_text":"","creation_source":"","_metatest_mainpost_news_update":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1138,36,26],"class_list":["post-25736","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-and-analysis","tag-opinions","tag-regulation","tag-usa"],"aioseo_notices":[],"amp_enabled":true,"views":"76","promo_type":"","layout_type":"","short_excerpt":"","is_update":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25736","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25736"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25736\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25736"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25736"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/u1f987.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25736"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}