Most Tokens Are Not Securities- SEC Chair Paul Atkins Following XRP Win

SEC Chair Paul Atkins shared that “very few” tokens should be classified as securities. This comes just days after the XRP lawsuit between Ripple and the SEC officially came to an end.

Paul Atkins Charts New Direction for SEC

Speaking at the SALT Blockchain Symposium in Wyoming, SEC Chair Paul Atkins stated that very few tokens fall under the securities category. Atkins emphasized that the SEC under his leadership will move away from enforcement-heavy tactics. This would instead foster an environment that embraces innovation. 

Atkins underscored that the nature of a digital asset depends less on the token itself and more on how it is packaged and sold. Using an analogy, he compared token purchases to buying oranges, suggesting that purchasing the fruit is not the same as investing in the process.

“I can buy an orange, and I’m not necessarily buying the promise to have somebody harvest it… and then send me the dividend. “So that’s a lot different than just buying a token in the marketplace,” he shared. “There are very few, in my mind, tokens that are securities.” 

Atkins’ remarks follow the end of the SEC’s legal battle with Ripple. After more than four years of litigation, both parties jointly agreed to dismiss their appeals, officially bringing the XRP lawsuit to an end.

This position is a change from the regulatory posture of his predecessor, Gary Gensler. “It is a new day,” Atkins told attendees, promising that crypto projects would not face the same aggressive clampdowns that previously characterized SEC policy.

SEC Set to Launch President’s Digital Assets Group

Paul Atkins had earlier unveiled Project Crypto, an initiative designed to modernize U.S. financial regulations and bring more of America’s markets on-chain. The program will focus on enabling both crypto asset securities and crypto asset commodities to trade under a unified framework. 

The SEC Chair shared during the symposium that the first order of business will be implementing the recommendations from the President’s Digital Asset Markets Working Group. They recently published a 166-page report calling for regulatory clarity. He praised President Trump for backing the effort, describing the administration’s goal as making the U.S. “the crypto capital of the world.”

Atkins stressed the need to protect investors from abuse while giving room for new technologies to flourish. He added that the SEC will work closely with Congress, the White House, and international partners to craft a framework that supports long-term innovation.

The digital asset industry has embraced the SEC’s new regulatory stance following the settlement of the XRP lawsuit. For many developers and investors, Atkins’ stance reduces uncertainty and signals a more open environment for token projects.

Experts think the U.S. is setting the stage for a broad introduction of blockchain technology in the global digital economy with Project Crypto in the works.