In brief
- SEC Chair Paul Atkins said ICOs tied to network tokens, digital collectibles, or digital tools should not be treated as securities.
- Under his token taxonomy, only tokenized securities would fall under SEC oversight, with many ICOs shifting to the CFTC’s lighter-touch regime.
- The stance signals a potential revival of ICO fundraising in the U.S., even ahead of any market structure legislation.
SEC chair Paul Atkins said Tuesday that numerous types of ICOs, or initial coin offerings, should be considered non-securities transactions, and thus outside the Wall Street regulator’s jurisdiction.
“That’s what we want to encourage,” Atkins said Tuesday at the Blockchain Association’s annual policy summit, in response to a…
Dec 10 2025
