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SEC Chair Atkins Pushes CLARITY Act, Says US Must Lead in AI, Crypto and Financial Innovation

July 13, 2026 at 18:01 EDT

Policy & Regulation
Finance

Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Paul Atkins has called for the United States to take the lead in artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency and financial innovation, urging Congress to advance the CLARITY Act as the legislative vehicle to make it happen.

Market-Structure Legislation · Digital Assets

The CLARITY Act: A Bid to Make America the "Crypto Capital of the World"

The SEC Chair is urging Congress to advance H.R. 3633 — a bill to draw a clean jurisdictional line between the SEC and CFTC, end "regulation by enforcement," and keep AI, crypto and financial innovation onshore.

~72%

Prediction-market odds of passage within 2026

$50M

Fundraising exemption cap per issuer over any 12-month period

10%

Max share of issued units any single purchaser may acquire

Two draft caps under discussion — measured to scale

$50M

over 12 months

$75M

over 4 years
(alternative draft)

Where CLARITY draws the line

CFTC Oversight

"Digital commodity" — an asset intrinsically linked to a blockchain, deriving value from the use of that blockchain.

SEC Oversight

Assets sold under investment contracts remain within the securities regime.

Legislative path

Passed House

bipartisan, mid-2025

→

Senate Committee

advanced

→

Senate Floor Vote

awaiting

Industry Welcomes

Potential end to enforcement-driven oversight
Opening for greater institutional participation
Feeds expectations around ETF flows

Observers Caution

Impact hinges on fundraising caps and decentralization tests
Structure could emerge via SEC rulemaking regardless
SEC readies an alternative safe-harbor if the bill stalls

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