SEC under Atkins pivots to crypto clarity

TLDR

The SEC under Chair Paul Atkins has formally shifted from suing crypto projects to writing clearer, crypto-specific rules.

1. Atkins ended regulation by enforcement and launched the ACT strategy and Project Crypto to give structured guidance on digital assets.
2. The SEC now treats most crypto assets as non-securities, has dropped headline cases, and is coordinating with the CFTC, easing legal overhang for firms and some tokens.
3. True clarity still depends on detailed rulemaking and a market structure bill in Congress, so there is progress but not a finished framework.

Deep Dive

1. What Changed Under Atkins

On April 20, 2026, Paul Atkins announced that the SEC is ending its regulation by enforcement approach and replacing it with an ACT strategy: Advance, Clarify, Transform, aimed explicitly at digital assets and IPOs.[](https://news.bitcoin.com/no-more-suing-sec-chair-paul-atkins-swaps-lawsuits-for-act-strategy)

Advance means modernizing SEC rules to attract crypto and tech firms back to the US, Clarify includes a joint interpretive release that draws a line between tokenized securities and commodities so developers know which regime they fall under, and Transform targets a broader overhaul of the rulebook to make public markets more usable.[](https://news.bitcoin.com/no-more-suing-sec-chair-paul-atkins-swaps-lawsuits-for-act-strategy)

Atkins also launched Project Crypto and a token taxonomy that classifies different crypto products and sketches an innovation exemption path for compliant projects.[]()

2. How This Affects Crypto Firms And Tokens

Under Atkins, the SEC has dismissed several civil cases and investigations that began under Gary Gensler, including actions against major platforms such as Coinbase and Binance, while approving multiple crypto-linked ETFs and signing a coordination memorandum with the CFTC.[](https://cointelegraph.com/news/paul-atkins-one-year-sec-chair)

Reports say the SEC now views most crypto assets as outside securities status, which reduces legal overhang for assets like XRP by shifting them toward commodities-style treatment and joint oversight with the CFTC.?

At the same time, the agency is tightening its focus on prediction markets and event contracts, even as overall crypto market size has climbed to roughly 2.56 trillion dollars in total capitalization with modest gains over the past day.

3. What Is Still Unclear

Despite the pivot, the SEC is still waiting on a comprehensive market structure bill such as the CLARITY Act to lock in jurisdictional boundaries and stablecoin rules, so some core questions remain legislative, not just regulatory.[](https://cointelegraph.com/news/paul-atkins-one-year-sec-chair)

Critics in Congress argue that enforcement has dropped to decade lows and question whether the new, friendlier stance creates conflicts of interest or weakens investor protection, which could trigger political pushback or future reversals.[](https://cointelegraph.com/news/paul-atkins-one-year-sec-chair)

For builders and investors, the real test will be how the ACT strategy and Project Crypto are codified into final rules, and whether future administrations respect Atkins-era interpretations.

Conclusion

Atkins SEC has shifted from courtroom battles to rulebook rewrites, signaling a friendlier, more predictable environment for many crypto projects. That pivot is already easing legal risk and supporting sentiment, but lasting crypto clarity will depend on how Congress and future regulators lock in or revise these early moves.