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Trump taps crypto-friendly Paul Atkins as SEC chair

Dec 4, 2024, 2:16pm EST
businesspoliticsNorth America
Paul Atkins in 2017.
Joshua Roberts/Rwuters
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The News

US President-elect Donald Trump named a cryptocurrency enthusiast to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission, Wall Street’s watchdog.

Conservative lawyer and former SEC commissioner Paul Atkins is a regulatory skeptic who is likely to be friendlier to the crypto market, The Wall Street Journal wrote, a contrast from the agency’s current approach: Under the Biden administration, the SEC has ​​sued several large crypto exchanges.

By choosing Atkins, Trump is “delivering on a promise he made to the crypto community,” crypto outlet Unchained wrote.

Trump’s embrace of the sector has seen the emergence of new tokens designed around viral moments — like the Thai pygmy hippo Moo Deng — in hopes of taking advantage of a more favorable regulatory environment.

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