New York, USA:
US President-elect Donald Trump has nominated veteran Washington lawyer Paul Atkins to head the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), a move welcomed by the cryptocurrency industry.
Mr. Atkins, who served as SEC Commissioner from 2002 to 2008, founded Patmac Global Partners in 2009, a risk consulting firm whose clients include companies in the banking, trading and cryptocurrency industries.
According to an announcement made during the transition to the Trump administration, Mr. Atkins had been co-chairman of the Digital Chamber of Commerce, which promotes the use of digital assets, since 2017.
“Paul has a proven track record as a common regulatory leader,” Trump said in a statement, highlighting Atkins' commitment to “robust and innovative” capital markets.
Trump added: “We also recognize that digital assets and other innovations are essential to making America greater than ever.”
In a separate statement, President Trump nominated former Sen. Kelly Loeffler to head the Small Business Administration.
“Kelly will use his business and Washington experience to reduce red tape and unlock opportunities for small businesses to grow, innovate and thrive,” he said, adding that he will also co-chair the inaugural committee. .
During the presidential campaign, Trump drew significant financial support from crypto backers, some of whom are close to Republican megadonor Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
The digital asset industry has been eager for change at the SEC, with outgoing Commissioner Gary Gensler taking a hostile stance toward the sector.
Gensler has called the crypto world the “Wild West” and has filed lawsuits against major trading platforms such as Binance, Coinbase, and Kraken, as well as various smaller startups.
The SEC chairman also supported a controversial measure that would require publicly traded companies to measure their exposure to climate change.
Blockchain Association CEO Christine Smith welcomed the appointment, calling Atkins an “excellent” choice.
“The past four years under Chairman Gensler have been a relentless anti-crypto movement that has stalled innovation and caused untold job, talent, and economic losses,” she wrote on X (formerly Twitter). Ta.
But Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the incoming top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, said Atkins protested fines against major corporations even though they had committed fraud during the last financial crisis. and expressed concern about his appointment.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
