Speaking at a policy roundtable hosted by the OECD in Paris, he emphasized a new approach that focuses on creating clear and consistent rules.

Atkins introduced a proposal that would allow companies offering crypto services, such as trading, lending, and staking, to operate under a single regulatory system.

These platforms, described as “super-apps“, would be able to provide various services within a single framework while offering options for how users store their digital assets.

The proposed changes fall under the SEC’s Project Crypto, a program designed to modernize financial rules for digital markets. According to Atkins, the groundwork has already been laid by the President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets.

He noted that this new direction would avoid burdening businesses with overlapping or unnecessary rules.

He added that the SEC’s job is not to create hurdles but to offer guidance that makes it easier for honest businesses to grow. Atkins stressed that only the amount of regulation needed to protect users should be applied.

Furthermore, Atkins acknowledged the European Union’s approach as a possible model. He stated that the MiCA framework provides a comprehensive set of rules for digital assets.

To close his remarks, Atkins called for more international cooperation. He noted that working together can help countries build markets that are safer, more accessible, and more open to innovation.

At the recent Wyoming Blockchain Symposium in Jackson Hole, Atkins shared his thoughts on how the agency plans to approach cryptocurrencies. What did he say? Read the full story.

It recently gained traction after crypto exchange Coinbase

$2.21B

sent out a prompt encouraging users to sign.

The petition, listed on the official UK government website, is open to the public until March 3, 2026.

If 10,000 people sign, the government is required to respond. If it reaches 100,000 signatures, Parliament will consider debating the proposal.

Three main ideas are highlighted in the petition. First, it calls for clear and practical rules for stablecoins and tokenized assets. Second, it suggests that government agencies begin experimenting with blockchain tools. Third, it recommends the appointment of a national figure to coordinate crypto policy across departments.

Coinbase helped boost support by sending in-app messages to users. Screenshots shared online showed messages urging action with the phrase “help UK lead stablecoin innovation now”.

As of now, more than 5,000 people have backed the effort.

Supporters argued that the UK is at risk of falling behind if it does not develop a solid plan. They point to the US decision not to issue a central bank digital currency and choose instead to focus on private stablecoins.

Recently, Coinbase increased its use of artificial intelligence (AI) to help build its products. What did CEO Brian Armstrong say? Read the full story.

This group, made up of 112 businesses, investors, and advocacy organizations, sent a letter to the Senate committees in charge of banking and agriculture.

Their request is to ensure that software developers and providers of non-custodial services are not treated like financial intermediaries. The letter was written with help from the DeFi Education Fund and other partners.

Well-known names, including Coinbase

$1.04B

, Kraken

$191.23M

, Uniswap
UNI


$9.76

Labs, Ripple, and a16z, signed the letter.

They want federal lawmakers to include protections in the upcoming market structure bill that separate developers and non-custodial service providers from traditional financial institutions.

Supporters of the letter warned that unclear or outdated rules could drive innovation out of the country. They pointed to research from Electric Capital, which shows that the US had 25% of all open-source blockchain developers in 2021. By 2025, that number dropped to 18%.

The coalition emphasized that people creating open-source tools or offering services that do not take control of customer funds should not be viewed as brokers or exchanges.

Another concern raised in the letter was the risk of different rules across states. If there is no nationwide approach, each state could create its own version of the law.

The group stated that federal protections would reduce this issue and support consistent development.

On August 26, a group of international regulators and exchange associations urged the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to clarify its position on tokenized stocks. What did they say? Read the full story.

The case centers on a 2021 deal where FTX used crypto to buy back its shares from Binance.

Zhao stated in an August 4 court filing in Delaware that the case tries to hold him responsible for actions taken by FTX’s founder, Sam Bankman-Fried.

He argued that none of the events tied to the share buyback took place in the United States. He pointed out that the Binance firms involved are based in Ireland, the Cayman Islands, and the British Virgin Islands.

Because the deal happened outside the US, Zhao’s lawyers said the legal rules being used in the case do not apply. They also argued that Zhao did not control or receive the crypto involved. The agreement used two tokens, Binance USD (BUSD) and FTX Token (FTT).

According to Zhao’s legal team, he was not the one who received the funds and only acted as a “nominal counterparty” in the transaction.

FTX also claimed that Zhao’s posts on X added to its collapse. Just before FTX filed for bankruptcy, Zhao posted about Binance selling off its FTT holdings.

Zhao argued that FTX’s failure came from its own wrongdoing. His filing described the company as “a fraudulent enterprise” and argued that it would have collapsed regardless of what he said.

Recently, a US Appeals Court overturned Nathaniel Chastain’s conviction in the OpenSea NFT case. What did they say? Read the full story.

Speaking at the Science of Blockchain Conference on August 4, she said that financial privacy should be preserved in the digital age.

Peirce stated that individuals should be free to use technologies that protect their financial privacy, and that developers who create open-source tools should not be held responsible for how those tools are later used.

She argued that the ability to manage one’s own digital assets and transfer funds privately should be treated as a basic right.

To support her point, Peirce referred to the 1990s debate over encryption. At that time, the US government tried to limit access to strong cryptography, claiming national security risks.

However, after legal battles and public pressure from figures like Phil Zimmermann, the creator of Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) encryption software, the courts sided with privacy advocates.

Peirce suggested that privacy tools for digital assets are facing a similar challenge. She warned that holding software developers accountable for users’ actions could discourage innovation and slow down progress.

According to her, requiring open-source protocols to meet surveillance rules would be pointless, especially when those protocols are decentralized and cannot be changed once launched.

Peirce also argued that peer-to-peer systems should stay open and accessible, even if that means some people will use them improperly.

The SEC recently introduced a plan called Project Crypto, aimed at updating how digital assets are regulated in the US. What does the plan include? Read the full story.