Peirce Exits SEC, Crypto Regulation in Limbo

Hester Peirce, known as 'Crypto Mom' for her efforts to establish friendlier digital asset regulations, is leaving the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on October 2. She will join Regent University School of Law in November as an associate professor, teaching courses on securities regulation and digital assets.

Peirce's tenure at the SEC spanned nearly nine years, during which she championed the development of a more coherent framework for regulating digital assets. As leader of the agency's Crypto Task Force, she proposed safe harbor periods for token projects to give startups time to decentralize before facing securities regulations.

The departure leaves the SEC with only two seated commissioners: Chairman Paul Atkins and Commissioner Mark Uyeda, both Republicans. The commission's quorum requires at least three members, but filling empty seats involves a presidential nomination and Senate confirmation process.