Paul Atkins Confirmed as the Next SEC Chair

On April 9 the U.S. Senate voted 52-44 to confirm Paul Atkins to serve as the next Chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The vote follows a whirlwind of confirmation events for Atkins who testified before the Committee on March 27 and a Committee vote the following week on April 3. For both roll call votes, Atkins nomination was advanced along strict party lines. For the final confirmation vote, Senators Mark Warner (D-VA), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), John Fetterman (D-PA), and Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) did not vote.

Once sworn in. Atkins will likely focus on filling out his staff and division heads. Issue areas he is likely to focus on include digital assets and cryptocurrency, ETF share class applications, private funds, and capital formation topics, among other areas. He is likely to testify in the next few months in front of both the House Financial Services Committee and Senate Banking Committee as part of the Committees’ oversight jurisdiction. In a statement regarding the confirmation, Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott (R-SC) noted, “Paul Atkins brings a wealth of experience and dedication to safeguarding our capital markets.”  Further Chairman Scott said that Atkins “will also provide regulatory clarity for digital assets, allowing American innovation to flourish, and ensuring we remain competitive on the global stage.”

Click here to read the Commissioners’ statement on Atkins’ confirmation.
Click here to read Banking Chairman Scott’s statement on Atkins’ confirmation.