President-elect Trump has nominated former Securities and Exchange Commissioner (SEC) Paul Atkins to replace outgoing chair Gary Gensler when he departs on Inauguration Day.  

“Paul is a proven leader for common sense regulations. He believes in the promise of robust, innovative capital markets that are responsive to the needs of Investors, & that provide capital to make our Economy the best in the World,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post Wednesday.  

The nomination caps off weeks of speculation over who will head up the independent agency following Gensler’s announcement last month he would step down from the post once Trump is sworn into office.  

“He also recognizes that digital assets & other innovations are crucial to Making America Greater than Ever Before,” the president-elect added.  

His nod to Atkins’ embrace of cryptocurrency is the latest signal the incoming Trump administration is expected to be much more friendly to the crypto industry than Gensler, who took a more hardline approach.   

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