With the news circulating of President-elect Donald Trump selecting Paul Atkins as his top choice to lead the SEC, there are no verified sources confirming the same, as Trump is yet to make an official statement.
Going by the sources, Atkins is hesitant in accepting the role due to the work involved behind correcting the SEC which, in his view, is in a bad state under the current Chair Gary Gensler. A source close to Atkins mentioned he is not willing to cover Gensler’s mess.
Atkins was the SEC commissioner for 6 years, and he is a crypto enthusiast. Upon leaving the SEC, he became the co-chairman of the Token Alliance under the Digital Chamber of Commerce and also established Patomak Global Partners, which is a consulting company for both crypto and traditional financial institutions.
The sources, however, reveal that Atkins is not keen on leaving his company, as being the SEC chair would require him to cut off his business interests.
Atkins was recently spotted at Trump’s Mar-A-Lago, where he was set to have an interview for the SEC chair role.
This is following Gary Gensler’s resignation announcement to come into effect on January 20, 2025, the inauguration day of Trump. There are also reports that Trump might officially announce his SEC Chair pick tomorrow.
