US SEC Chair hints at swiftly advancing key crypto regulatory agenda at the start of the new year, saying "the best is yet to come"

According to ChainCatcher, as reported by The Block, Paul Atkins, Chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), stated that as the agency faces a series of new year cryptocurrency policy priorities: "The best is yet to come. In the coming year, all the seeds we have sown will begin to sprout and grow, and by then we will be able to reap the fruits."

Atkins has set an ambitious agenda aimed at clarifying the agency's stance on cryptocurrencies. Atkins revealed that one of the top priorities for the new year will be the "innovation exemption" for crypto and fintech projects—a conditional and time-limited regulatory relief framework designed to reduce compliance costs and encourage innovation. He said he hopes to officially launch this framework around the end of January.

Regarding the issue of token classification, he turned his attention to Capitol Hill. Lawmakers are working to advance a comprehensive bill to regulate cryptocurrencies, with one of the core issues being to clarify the jurisdictional boundaries between the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Previous reports indicated that the Senate is making every effort to push the bill forward, hoping to pass a key review by the Senate Banking Committee before the end of the year, but negotiations do not seem to be progressing smoothly at the moment. Atkins said: "We will wait and see what legislative results Congress will deliver at that time."