Paul Atkins Sets the Stage for Crypto Super Apps and Clearer SEC Rules

A new era at the SEC

SEC Commissioner Paul Atkins has announced a sweeping change in direction for digital assets, declaring that most cryptocurrency tokens are not securities. 

Source: Paul Atkins / X

Speaking at a roundtable hosted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris, Atkins emphasized that the era of unpredictable enforcement is over.

“Policy will no longer be set by ad hoc enforcement actions,” he said. Instead, the SEC aims to provide “clear, predictable rules of the road so that innovators can thrive in the United States.”

This marks a decisive shift from the previous administration’s confrontational stance toward crypto firms.

CryptoProject and the age of super apps

As part of the new initiative called CryptoProject, the SEC plans to modernize securities laws to fit blockchain-driven markets. According to Atkins, the President’s task force on digital asset markets has already drafted a “bold plan” to support innovation.

The updated strategy paves the way for crypto super apps — platforms that integrate trading, lending, and staking in one place. These apps could offer diverse custody solutions while giving users a seamless experience, similar to what has already taken off in Asia.

Source: Emerline

“Regulators should provide the minimum effective dose of regulation needed to protect investors, and no more,” Atkins noted, warning against rules so heavy-handed that only giant firms could survive.

Global lessons and cooperation

Atkins praised Europe’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation as a comprehensive digital asset framework and suggested U.S. policymakers could learn from Europe’s early moves.

At the same time, he warned against rigid capital requirements, pointing to recent rules from the European Banking Authority (EBA) requiring banks to hold extra capital for uncollateralized crypto assets like Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Meanwhile, other jurisdictions are taking a lighter approach:

• In the U.S., the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is now allowing controlled banks to engage in crypto activities without prior approval.
• Switzerland has updated its distributed ledger technology laws to strengthen crypto storage and stablecoin guarantees.

Atkins concluded that international cooperation, not fragmented rules, will determine the strength of future crypto markets.