SEC Innovation Embrace Urged by Atkins

SEC Embraces Innovation, Announces Reforms at 2025 Conference

• The SEC Speaks conference occurred on May 19-20, 2025, in Washington.
• New SEC Chairman Paul Atkins emphasized supporting innovation over fearing it.
• Plans were announced to reform FinHub and optimize the Consolidated Audit Trail (CAT) system.
• The CAT system currently costs $250 million annually in taxpayer funds for maintenance.
• Hester Peirce discussed cryptocurrency classification and the Crypto Task Force’s progress.

The SEC is shifting towards a more innovation-friendly approach under Chairman Paul Atkins, who announced reforms for FinHub and the CAT system during the May 2025 conference.