SEC's Atkins Pushes Crypto Custody and Rulemaking After CLARITY Act Stalls in Senate - finance.biggo.com

The SEC is signaling a shift toward agency-led crypto policymaking after the CLARITY Act stalled in the Senate. According to reporting, Commissioner Paul Atkins is emphasizing custody arrangements and formal rulemaking as the near-term path, rather than waiting on comprehensive legislation.

For markets, the distinction matters. Custody rules shape how digital assets are held, segregated, and safeguarded by intermediaries — a foundational issue for institutional participation. Rulemaking through the SEC's own process can advance more quickly than a divided Congress, but it may also be narrower in scope and more vulnerable to legal challenge or reversal by future leadership.

What to watch: the substance of any proposed custody framework, timelines for public comment, and whether the SEC coordinates with other regulators such as the CFTC. Also relevant is whether legislative efforts resume, since a durable statutory framework could outlast changes in agency personnel. For now, the emphasis appears to be incremental regulatory clarity over sweeping reform.