The crypto industry is bracing for a significant shift in regulatory tone following Paul Atkinsโ swearing-in as chair of the US Securities and Exchange Commission on April 21. A former SEC commissioner with deep roots in deregulatory philosophy, Atkins replaces Gary Gensler, whose combative stance toward crypto defined much of the agencyโs recent legacy.
In the latest episode of Byte-Sized Insight with Cointelegraph, key industry figures weigh in on the implications of this leadership change and what it might unlock for innovation, investment and clarity for digital assets.
Cryptoโs โgolden ageโ continues
Chris Perkins, president of CoinFund, spoke with host Savannah Fortis and described his excitement regarding the new SEC chair, predicting a reduction in regulatory uncertainty under the new administration.ย
โWe were under this regulatory reign of terror, you know, under the Biden administration,โ said Perkins. โInvestors in assets, theyโre very comfortable taking market risk… but theyโre not comfortable taking reputational risk, and along with that is regulatory risk.โ
He pointed out how it was not only investors and companies who were nervous under the last administration, but also developers in the crypto space who had been targeted for their work.
Perkins highlighted how a shift in the regulatory climate could catalyze growth.
โNow, again, you’re taking that personal liability offโฆ So in a way, you have this perfect storm of new institutional capital coming in and new developers coming in. And I think the this is going to be a golden age for venture and value creation.โ
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Katherine Dowling, general counsel and chief commercial officer at Bitwise Asset Management, agreed that change is already visible.ย
โThe mood has already changed,โ she said. โWeโve seen a flurry of activity around certain legal cases… being dismissed, dropped… not because all regulation is going away… but because more work needs to be done to define what these digital assets are.โ
Dowling emphasized that the shift is about clarity, not deregulation.ย
โItโs a signal shift towards letโs take a step back and define what these are, what they look like, and how they should be regulated.โ
What to expect from the Atkins era
James Gernetzke, chief financial officer of Bitcoin and crypto wallet Exodus, added that โthe promise of being able to engage with a regulator on a reasonable basisโฆ is going to be very helpful.โย
Gernetzke said he expects a return to โmore normal time framesโ for IPOs and access to capital markets.ย
โI think the IPO rush… you will see probably towards the end… maybe months 10, 11, 12… it’s coming for sure.โ
Perkins captured the broader sentiment, calling the incoming market structure bill a potential unlock.ย
โThis market structure bill is going to have a really big impact… because then I know what my asset is, and I have a process for capital formation. I have a process for disclosures… Itโs going to be awesome.โ
Listen to the full episode of Byte-Sized Insight for the complete interview on Cointelegraphโs Podcasts page, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. And donโt forget to check out Cointelegraphโs full lineup of other shows!ย
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