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ARTICLE · 27 AUGUST 2025

Super-Apps, Self-Custody And Safe Harbors: SEC's New Crypto Playbook

Farrell Fritz, P.C.
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For years, the SEC has been painted as the cop on the beat when it comes to crypto, more likely to file an enforcement action than to roll out the welcome mat.

United StatesTechnology
Alon Kapen
Alon Kapen

For years, the SEC has been painted as the cop on the beat when it comes to crypto, more likely to file an enforcement action than to roll out the welcome mat. But SEC Chairman Paul Atkins' announcement this summer of a new "Project Crypto" initiative is the latest and clearest signal that there's a new sheriff in town with a pro-reform agenda. Instead of another warning shot, the SEC is launching a Commission-wide initiative to modernize securities laws so America's financial markets can move from off-chain to on-chain and be positioned as the global leader in crypto markets.

Digital Asset Reboot

In his July 31, 2025 speech at the America First Policy Institute, SEC Chairman Paul Atkins described the initiative as nothing less than a reboot of the SEC's approach to digital assets. Rather than twisting 80-year-old securities laws to fit blockchain-based innovation, the SEC is looking to rewrite the playbook. Atkins framed it simply: Despite what the SEC has said

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