Paul Atkins has been confirmed as the next Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. The Senate voted to approve his nomination along party lines, 52 for and 44 against, with 4 members not voting.
Current Commissioners, Mark Uyeda, Hester Peirce, and Caroline Crenshaw, joined in welcoming Atkins to the agency.
“A veteran of our Commission, we look forward to him joining with us, along with our dedicated staff, to fulfill our mission on behalf of the investing public.”
Atkins was previously an SEC Commissioner, serving from 2002 to 2008.
A graduate of Wofford College and Vanderbilt Law School, Atkins most recently served as CEO and founder of Patomak Global Partners, a risk management consultancy.
Atkins also served as co-Chairman of the Digital Chamber’s Token Alliance and is thus well-versed in the digital asset sector, a key segment of finance that is now receiving significant policy attention as the US seeks to emerge as a global leader in crypto.
Atkins will step into his leadership role at a time when the Commission has been rapidly moving forward on pursuing updated digital asset rules while reversing the aggressive enforcement actions against crypto firms launched by his predecessor.
