Trump Reviews Pro-Cryptocurrency Paul Atkins for SEC Chairmanship

Transition Team Interviews Former SEC Commissioner Atkins
Friendly to Digital Asset and Fintech Companies

The team of President-elect Donald Trump is considering nominating Paul Atkins, a former SEC commissioner known for his pro-cryptocurrency stance, as the chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for the second administration set to launch in January next year.

On the 27th (local time), Bloomberg News reported, citing sources, that Trump’s transition team interviewed former commissioner Atkins as a candidate for SEC chairman.

According to sources, Atkins is a leading candidate for SEC chairman under Trump’s second administration. Trump has not yet made a final decision but is expected to nominate the SEC chairman within a few days.

Atkins is known as a financial regulation expert and a behind-the-scenes influential figure in the conservative financial sector. He served as an SEC commissioner affiliated with the Republican Party during the George W. Bush administration and later founded Patomak Global Partners, a consulting firm with major financial institutions as clients.

Atkins is particularly recognized as a strong supporter of digital assets and fintech (finance + technology) companies. He previously testified before Congress, advocating for the coordination of SEC operations and the reduction of overlapping regulations or burdensome rules on the industry. He is considered the right person to implement Trump’s campaign promise of cryptocurrency-friendly policies.

Earlier, Bloomberg reported that other candidates for Trump’s second SEC chairman included current SEC commissioner Mark Uyeda, former Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) chairman Hess Tabbart, and Robert Stebbins, a partner at Wilkie Farr & Gallagher.

Meanwhile, current SEC commissioner Gary Gensler, known as the “cryptocurrency grim reaper,” announced he will resign on January 20 next year, when Trump takes office. Although his term runs until 2026, he decided to step down following the customary practice of administration changes. Trump had repeatedly pledged during his candidacy that he would dismiss Gensler, who has strengthened cryptocurrency regulations and enforcement, if he won the election.