Under President Donald Trump, the agency has moved from a combative stance on digital assets to a friendlier framework for crypto markets, while also weighing fundamental changes to corporate reporting rules.

A Softer SEC on Crypto

Acting under chairs Mark Uyeda and now Paul Atkins, the SEC has dropped several lawsuits against high-profile crypto companies and signaled that only a small minority of tokens should be classified as securities. Regulators have also pushed through streamlined standards for approving cryptocurrency ETFs, creating a more permissive environment than in previous years.

Trump has gone further, proposing this week that U.S. companies no longer be required to publish quarterly earnings reports, instead switching to twice-yearly updates. Atkins confirmed the agency is preparing to review the change, suggesting that markets should decide “the proper cadence” for disclosure.

Gensler’s Very Different Approach

The new posture is a stark reversal from the four years of Gary Gensler, who left the SEC when Trump returned to the Oval Office in January. Gensler became one of the most controversial figures in financial regulation, championing what critics called “regulation by enforcement.” His tenure coincided with the collapse of FTX and a wave of bankruptcies in crypto, during which the SEC launched numerous lawsuits against exchanges and token projects.

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While many in the industry cheered his departure, Gensler insisted this week that he stood by every decision. Speaking to CNBC, he described crypto as “a highly speculative, very risky asset” and argued that enforcement was essential given the prevalence of fraud. “Look at Sam Bankman-Fried,” he said. “And he wasn’t alone.”

A Clash of Philosophies

The biggest dividing line may now be corporate transparency. Gensler warned that cutting reporting requirements in half could destabilize markets. “Transparency helps markets,” he said. “If we go to only twice a year instead of four times a year, the markets will be a bit more volatile.”

The Trump-era SEC, by contrast, has embraced a more market-led model. For investors, that means less frequent disclosures, looser oversight of crypto tokens, and a faster track for ETFs. Whether this shift strengthens U.S. markets or exposes them to greater risk remains the open question – one that will define how history remembers both Trump’s regulators and Gensler’s contentious legacy.

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