SEC Chair Atkins Delays Crypto Exemptions, Cites Caution and Congressional Uncertainty

SEC Chair Paul Atkins on January 29, 2026, walked back his prior target to issue broad crypto exemptions by January, signaling delays amid Wall Street pushback and stalled Senate legislation. The exemptions would shield tokenized securities and DeFi projects from enforcement. Atkins, speaking at a joint event with CFTC leadership, declined to commit to any timeline, stating, “We need to measure twice and cut once.” He noted congressional direction would be “nice” but not mandatory, calling the situation complex with “a lot of moving parts.” Wall Street firms including JPMorgan and Citadel, alongside SIFMA, recently warned the SEC that sweeping exemptions could erode investor protections and destabilize markets—particularly around tokenized securities. SIFMA materials argued such moves risk “market disruptions.”