President-elect Donald Trump has selected Paul Atkins, a former SEC commissioner, to lead the nations top securities regulator as the Chairman of the Commission
Announcing the appointment on Truth Social, Trump stated:
“I am delighted to announce the nomination of Paul Atkins to be the next Chairman of the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Paul is a proven leader for common sense regulations. He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World. He also recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before.
Paul is the CEO & Founder of Patomak Global Partners, a risk management consultancy. As Co-Chairman of the Digital Chamber’s Token Alliance since 2017, he has worked on & studied the digital assets industry. A former SEC Commissioner from 2002-2008, Paul strongly advocated for transparency & protecting investors. He earned a J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law, & his A.B. from Wofford College, summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa.
Congratulations to Paul, his wonderful wife, Sarah, & sons, Stewart, Peter, & Henry.”
Atkins was widely acknowledged as one of the leading candidates to take over the Commission from outgoing Chairman Gary Gensler. Current Commissioners Hester Peirce and Mark Uyeda were on the shortlist, as was former Commissioner and now Coinbase executive Dan Gallagher. Gallagher removed himself from consideration late last month. While some were jockeying for Commissioner Peirce to be selected as she has been a vocal supporter of Fintech and digital asset innovation, chatter on the street was she was not interested in stepping into the leadership role.
Atkins was appointed by former President George W. Bush to be an SEC Commissioner in July 2002, where he served until August 2008. In the early 1990s, Atkins served as staff for two former SEC Chairmans – Richard Breeden and Arthur Levitt.
Atkins received his JD from Vanderbilt University School of Law in 1983, and his AB was from Wofford College.
More recently, Atkins was on the Board of Advisors of the Chamber of Digital Commerce – a digital asset advocacy group.
He was engaged by Trump during his first term in office to lead the transition team for financial regulatory appointments. Currently, he is the CEO of Patomak Partners – a DC-based consulting group.
Atkins has been vocal about his support of Fintech innovation, digital assets, and topics such as improving online capital formation (securities crowdfunding). He will be welcomed as a breath of fresh air for individuals active in digital financial services and access to capital, in contrast to the last four years during the tenure of Chairman Gensler, who was anti-digital assets and described by some insiders as anti-capital formation.