“This is your moment. Like, enjoy this moment where you’ve got agencies that want to work with you to build good things, good things that serve other people.”

That was the message from Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Commissioner Hester Peirce at Katten’s 2026 annual symposium, Crypto with Katten, co-sponsored with the Investment Advisers Association. Her remarks drew spontaneous applause when she called on industry and regulators to “lock arms” and ensure that America’s capital markets remain the best place in the world for innovators to build and solve human problems. The symposium’s central theme crystallized in that moment — the crypto industry stands at an inflection point, and regulators are signaling a…