SEC chair backs CLARITY Act but says agency will push rules regardless

SEC Chair Paul Atkins threw his support behind the CLARITY Act ahead of a key Senate procedural vote, but said the agency will continue advancing its own crypto rules whether or not the market-structure bill passes. Atkins identified crypto issuance, transfer agent modernization and digital asset custody as the pillars of the SEC's regulatory push with or without legislation.

The comments underscore the regulatory momentum building around digital assets at the federal level, even as the bill's path through a shortened September legislative calendar remains uncertain and requires 60 votes to advance.