With Paul Atkins as the incoming SEC Chair, David Sacks as the AI & Crypto Czar, and potential CFTC leadership changes, the Trump administration is signaling a major shift for crypto, AI, and financial regulation.

Guests Mike Selig and Jake Chervinsky break down what this means for token launches, enforcement actions, inter-agency collaboration, and the fate of Operation Chokepoint 2.0. Could this mark the end of the U.S.’s regulatory hostility toward innovation?

Show highlights:

02:18-What changes to expect under an Atkins-led SEC
08:58-Who could lead the SEC in the period between Gensler resigning and Atkins assuming
11:54-Whether the Democrats will nominate SEC Commissioner Crenshaw again
15:50-Elizabeth Warren's influence on the non-Republican SEC commissioner picks
23:39-Whether Atkins’ leadership at the SEC might shift crypto regulation away from aggressive enforcement
28:26-Whether Gensler’s recent promotion of people in enforcement roles will further his SEC’s regulation-by-enforcement strategy
38:52-Whether the SEC and Coinbase will reach a settlement
41:47-Why Mike and Jake think it’s not likely that the SEC will pursue litigation in the Ripple case
46:03-How the SEC might clarify securities laws around token sales, airdrops, and exemptions
55:14-Whether Atkins’ leadership could fast-track Hester Peirce’s Safe Harbor
59:53-How the CFTC's potential lead on crypto regulation might redefine how it splits duties with the SEC
1:03:03-Whether it even makes sense to have two financial regulatory agencies
1:11:00-Who might lead the CFTC
1:13:59-Why Jake and Mike believe combining AI and crypto under one ‘czar’ makes sense
1:20:31-How the appointment of Scott Bessent for Treasury secretary will affect the crypto industry
1:25:47-How the likely end to Operation Chokepoint 2.0 will create a “sea change”

Visit our website for breaking news, analysis, op-eds, articles to learn about crypto, and much more: unchainedcrypto.com

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Guests:

Mike Selig, Partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher
Previous appearance on Unchained: Is Gary Gensler on a Mission to Put Crypto Down for Good?
Jake Chervinsky, Chief Legal Officer at Variant
Previous appearances on Unchained:
The US vs. Crypto: Jake Chervinsky on Crypto's Legal and Regulatory Status
Why the SEC vs. Ripple Order Is Now About 2 Things: Coinbase and Congress
The Chopping Block: Jake Chervinsky on How the SEC Has Lost Credibility
All Things Crypto Regulation With Jake Chervinsky
Everything You Need to Know About the Looming Battle Over Privacy in Crypto
Can Crypto Be a Force in the Midterms? Yes, Say Kristin Smith and Jake Chervinsky

Links

Trump’s Office Picks:
Unchained:
Why Trump’s SEC Chair Pick, Paul Atkins, Is So Positive for Crypto
David Sacks as A.I. & Crypto Czar? Why the Industry Was Surprised
Trump Taps Paul Atkins for Next SEC Chair, Making Good on His Crypto Promises
Democratic SEC Commissioner Is Stepping Down, but That Doesn’t Mean Trump Will Get 2 Outright Picks
Trump Taps Hedge Fund Manager Scott Bessent to Be Treasury Secretary
A Degen Administration? Why the Crypto Czar May Be Allowed to Own Tokens
Tracking Trump’s Cabinet and Staff Nominations
Congressional Results
John Reed Stark’s tweet:“current SEC Chair Gary Gensler is quietly working behind the scenes to lead the SEC from the grave”

Operation Chokepoint 2.0

Forbes: How ‘Debanking’ Tech And Crypto Companies Could Kill Businesses
Marc Andreessen and the CFPB: Debunking the Debanking Debunkers by Nic Carter
Unchained: Regulators Are Limiting Banks Serving Crypto Clients. Does That Violate the Law?
Unchained: Killed By Politics, Ex-Diem Boss Says of Meta’s Stablecoin

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