At ETHDenver 2026, SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins and Commissioner Hester M. Peirce outlined the agency’s current thinking on investor protection, innovation, and regulatory adaptation for cryptocurrencies and tokenized assets. Their conversation reflected both ongoing SEC priorities and the broader challenges that financial regulators face as technology continues to reshape capital markets.

Prioritizing Investor Protection

On November 4, 2025, the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated eight individuals and two entities for their involvement in laundering funds derived from illicit schemes originating in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK).  These activities included cybercrime operations and information technology (IT) worker fraud, both connected to