SEC Chairman Paul Atkins Backs Self-Custody, Calls It a ‘Foundational American Value’
In a significant shift in regulatory tone, SEC Chairman Paul Atkins expressed strong support for crypto self-custody, describing it as a “foundational American value” during the agency’s final Crypto Task Force Roundtable held Monday.
Titled “DeFi and the American Spirit,” the event marked a turning point in how the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission may approach decentralized finance and digital asset ownership moving forward.
“The right to have self-custody of one’s private property is a foundational American value that should not disappear when one logs onto the internet,” Atkins said.
His comments suggest a departure from previous SEC leadership, which largely favored more centralized control and oversight of crypto assets via third-party custodians. Atkins now appears to be championing a framework that affords greater autonomy to individual users and decentralized protocols.
Atkins emphasized that intermediation—while often necessary—can impose unwarranted transaction costs and may inhibit participation in on-chain activities such as staking.
“I am in favor of affording greater flexibility to market participants to self-custody crypto assets, especially where intermediation imposes unnecessary transaction costs or restricts the ability to engage in staking and other on-chain activities,” he said.
The chairman’s remarks could signal upcoming policy developments that support decentralized infrastructure, enhance user sovereignty, and reduce regulatory friction for compliant self-custody solutions.
As the industry continues to evolve, Atkins’ comments may serve as a green light for DeFi developers and wallet providers advocating for more user-controlled asset frameworks in the U.S.
Kosta Gushterov
Reporter at Coindoo
Kosta has been a part of the team since 2021 and has solidified his position with a thirst for knowledge, incredible dedication to his work and a “detective-like” mindset. He not only covers a wide range of trending topics, he also creates reviews, PR articles and educational content. His work has also been referenced by other news outlets.
