Paul Atkins Sworn In as SEC Chair with $327 Million Net Worth

The vote, which ended with 52 in favor and 44 against, cleared the way for him to be sworn in on April 21.

Atkins returns to the SEC with previous experience, having served as a commissioner between 2002 and 2008. In an April 21 announcement, he stated that he looks forward to working with the SEC’s staff to support its goals, including protecting investors, keeping markets running smoothly, and helping companies raise funds.

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The confirmation process was delayed for a time while Atkins submitted additional financial information. This was partly due to his marriage into a wealthy family, which added more details to his disclosures. These included investments in Anchorage Digital, a crypto custody firm, and Securitize, a platform for blockchain-based assets.

He also reported a stake of up to $5 million in Off the Chain Capital, an investment firm focused on digital assets.

Atkins, who founded and is the CEO of the financial consulting firm Patomak Global Partners in 2009, said he will step down from that position within three months. His combined assets and those of his wife are estimated at $327 million, which makes him one of the wealthiest people to lead the SEC.

Under Atkins’ leadership, the SEC must decide 72 applications for crypto exchange-traded funds (ETFs). These include products linked to major tokens like Solana SOL $150.86 , XRP XRP $2.22 , and Litecoin LTC $83.03 . As Bloomberg analyst Eric Balchunas put it on X, "Gonna be a wild year".

On April 10, the SEC and crypto platform Ripple agreed to pause their legal dispute. What led to this decision? Read the full story.