SEC close to putting out 'reg crypto' for fundraising questions, Chair Atkins says

Policy Share Share this article Copy link X icon X (Twitter) LinkedIn Facebook Email SEC close to putting out 'reg crypto' for fundraising questions, Chair Atkins says The Securities and Exchange Commission will address fundraising and startup exemptions in this proposal, Paul Atkins told a crowd Monday. By Nikhilesh De | Edited by Sam Reynolds Apr 7, 2026, 3:59 a.m. Make preferred on SEC Chair Paul Atkins speaking at Vanderbilt University on April 6, 2026. (Nikhilesh De/CoinDesk) What to know : The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission will publish a "Reg Crypto" proposal soon, after it receives a White House signoff, Chairman Paul Atkins said Monday. This proposal will address startup exemptions and fundraising questions. Atkins also urged attendees at the crypto event to engage with the 2026 midterm election to "make sure your friends are in Congress." NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Securities and Exchange Commission is close to proposing a "regulation crypto" fleshing out its approach to overseeing the crypto industry and drawing lines between transactions that might be securities and where they aren't, the agency's head said Monday. SEC Chair Paul Atkins said the commission's new reg crypto is in front of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs, meaning it's one step away from being published. This rulemaking is focused on the Securities Act of 1933 and will address fundraising and startup exemptions, among other issues, he said Monday at an event hosted by Vanderbilt University and the Blockchain Association. He told CoinDesk after his question-and-answer session that the SEC also intends to put out its long-awaited innovation exemption soon. "We'd love to have reactions and everything else," he said. "It's not a rule as such but obviously we need to know how it's functioning and if people have problems with it or not." One aspect to this exemption, he said, is that it wouldn't disadvantage incumbents and focus solely on startups. "We want people really to experiment within [that] framework," he said. Midterm watch At multiple points during his talk, Atkins pointed to Congress's role, saying that his agency's rulemaking process was well underway despite whatever Congress may do. "I think we have enough of a runway now, even notwithstanding what may happen in the midterms — although I really still want a friendly Congress obviously — they can throw tacks on the road in front of our tires but they're not going to really slow us down." Atkins also said the audience needed "to be engaged in this upcoming election," pointing to Senator Bernie Moreno as an example. "To have Congress really veer off track is not going to any of us any good, and it's going to put a lot more questions into the future because people then just have 'oh gosh, maybe this is again a passing phase,'" he said. "We've got to make sure that your friends are in Congress. I think you saw how that really paid benefits in the last election." SEC More For You Encryption Supremacy: Zcash and Privacy in the Age of Scale By CoinDesk Research Mar 31, 2026 Commissioned by GenZcash Most crypto privacy models weaken as blockchain data grows. Encryption-based models like Zcash strengthen. CoinDesk Research maps the five privacy approaches and examines the widening gap. Why it matters : As blockchain adoption scales, the metadata available to machine learning models scales with it. Obfuscation-based privacy approaches are structurally degrading as a result. This report provides a comprehensive comparison of all five major crypto privacy architectures and a framework for evaluating which models remain durable as AI capabilities improve. View Full Report More For You Appeals court blocks New Jersey from shutting down Kalshi's sports markets By Nikhilesh De | Edited by Sheldon Reback 11 hours ago The Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that New Jersey could not bring an enforcement action against Kalshi, finding that the federal Commodity Exchange Act preempted state gambling laws. What to know : A Third Circuit panel ruled that New Jersey cannot temporarily ban prediction market platform Kalshi, finding its sports-event contracts fall under the federal Commodity Exchange Act rather than state gambling laws. The court held that Kalshi’s self-certified sports contracts are presumptively approved because the CFTC has not found them contrary... 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