SEC Launches ‘Project Crypto’ To Modernize U.S. Digital Asset Rules

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins has announced “Project Crypto,” a sweeping initiative to modernize digital asset regulations in the U.S.

The move comes in response to the President’s Working Group report on digital assets. Key proposals include easing licensing rules to allow brokerages to offer multiple asset classes under a single license and establishing a market framework that clearly separates commodities—where most crypto tokens fall—from securities.

Atkins also proposed regulatory grace periods for early-stage crypto startups, initial coin offerings, and decentralized software to ensure innovation is not stifled by premature legal pressures. He emphasized that crypto firms shouldn’t be forced into creating decentralized autonomous organizations simply to escape regulation. Most notably, Atkins asserted that the right to self-custody—allowing individuals to hold and control their own crypto assets—must be legally protected. Project Crypto signals the SEC’s intent to balance investor protection with technological innovation.

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