SEC chair backs CLARITY Act, optimistic on Senate passage

SEC Chair Paul Atkins expressed optimism that the CLARITY Act will clear Congress and offered SEC technical assistance to lawmakers reviewing the bill.

Atkins wrote on X on July 28 that he is “committed to supporting Congress in advancing the CLARITY Act, including providing technical assistance.” In a July 27 interview he argued a statutory solution would make rules more durable and added the agency is prepared to issue rules addressing the same issues if lawmakers do not act.

The CLARITY Act passed the House and is now under consideration in the Senate. The legislation would define token classifications, assign regulatory responsibilities, and establish market-structure rules for exchanges and other trading platforms.

Atkins linked the measure to efforts to update U.S. oversight for digital finance, saying leadership in the sector depends on a regulatory system that can keep pace with new technologies and market developments.

The SEC has issued guidance on crypto assets and outlined priorities on market structure, compliance and investor protection while Congress weighs the bill’s details. The agency’s offer to provide technical assistance comes as it continues its own work on rules and guidance for digital-asset markets.

Atkins indicated that if Congress does not complete a statutory framework, the SEC will pursue rulemaking to create standards for exchanges, token issuers and market intermediaries, with consumer protections remaining central to that work.

Senate passage would establish a federal market-structure framework for digital assets in the United States. The CLARITY Act faces a limited window for Senate action this session; if it does not pass, Congress would not provide that statutory framework and regulators would rely more on agency rulemaking.