SEC Chairman Paul Atkins said the agency is moving away from its old crypto approach and adopting a new strategy called ACT, short for Advance, Clarify, and Transform.
Speaking in a CNBC interview on Monday, Atkins said that when he took office, he promised a “new day” at the SEC and had followed through by shifting away from “regulation through enforcement” and agency “opaqueness,” especially in crypto, which he called a top priority.
He said the new strategy aims to modernize the SEC’s approach, bring innovation back to the United States, and update rules so they better fit today’s markets.
“We’re now implementing a strategy I call ACT—advance, clarify, and transform,” he noted.
Atkins became the SEC’s 34th chairman on April 21, 2025, after winning Senate approval earlier that month on April 9. Since taking office, the agency has shown clear signs of the approach he described in the interview.
What the ACT strategy means for crypto
In the interview, Atkins explained each part of the strategy in simple terms. He said “Advance” means welcoming innovation instead of driving it away.
According to him, some firms and projects moved offshore in recent years, so the SEC now wants to make the United States a better place to build. He said “Clarify” means offering clearer guidance after a period when the agency faced criticism for being unclear on crypto.
His “Transform” message was not only about crypto. Atkins said the SEC also wants to update its rulebook to better support public listings and help revive the IPO market.
In the interview, he said the number of public companies in the United States has fallen to about half of what it was 30 years ago. He added that many firms are now staying private for longer.
Atkins said three main problems are behind this trend. These are the high cost and complexity of disclosure rules, legal pressure, and what he described as politically driven shareholder activism.
He believes the SEC should cut unnecessary burdens so younger companies can reach public markets earlier, instead of waiting until later funding rounds.
SEC and CFTC move closer on crypto oversight
Atkins said the SEC had already started working more closely with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, to draw clearer lines around digital assets.
“For decades, regulatory turf wars, duplicative agency registrations, and different sets of regulations between the SEC and CFTC have stifled innovation and pushed market participants to other jurisdictions,” Paul Atkins said at that moment.
On March 11, the SEC and CFTC signed an MOU to collaborate more closely regarding crypto and other overlapping markets.
Both will share information, coordinate policy, clarify product definitions, remove unnecessary obstacles for lawful crypto products, and improve market oversight.
In the recent interview, Atkins also spoke more broadly about enforcement during the interview. He did not comment on any specific case, but said investor protection and market manipulation remain key parts of the SEC’s role.
He added that regulators are also looking at unusual trading activity linked to public comments and prediction markets. That review involves the SEC, the CFTC, and the Department of Justice.
ACT strategy was already in motion
On March 19, in prepared remarks for SEC Speaks 2026, he publicly presented the same “advancing, clarifying, and transforming” framework for the agency’s rulebook and regulatory structure.
That speech showed the ACT approach was already part of his broader plan before this week’s TV interview.
On March 17, Atkins gave another crypto speech in Washington. He said the SEC’s long period of unclear guidance had ended. He also said the agency was introducing a token taxonomy and a new view on investment contracts.
The SEC chair said this framework groups crypto assets into categories such as digital commodities, digital collectibles, digital tools, stablecoins, and digital securities.
Atkins also explains that some crypto assets may not be securities on their own, but can still be sold as part of an investment contract.
For crypto, Atkins made the SEC’s message clear. The agency now wants to lead with clear rules instead of punishment. He said this approach can help bring talent, investment, and innovation back to the United States while still protecting investors.
A Cornerstone Research report adds to that picture. It said SEC enforcement actions dropped about 30 percent in fiscal 2025 from a year earlier, as the agency adjusted to new leadership under Atkins.