SEC Holds “SEC Speaks in 2026” Conference
March 23, 2026
The SEC, in coordination with the Practising Law Institute, held its “SEC Speaks in
2026” conference on March 19–20. In his prepared remarks, SEC Chairman Paul Atkins gave his views on
several challenges for the Commission as it navigates the years ahead, including the
need to fully update its technologies (e.g., electronic in lieu of paper delivery
for all communications); streamlining the SEC’s regulatory frameworks, especially
those related to digital assets; and reducing compliance costs. In response to these
challenges, Mr. Atkins outlined a three-pillared approach for the Commission going
forward, which he referred to as its “Advance-Clarify-Transform” strategy, or
“A-C-T.” Each of these three pillars can be described as follows:
- Advance — Adapting the SEC’s regulations to current markets, taking into account the needs of investors as well as innovations in certain areas such as digital assets.
- Clarify — Harmonizing overlapping requirements between regulators by “clarifying rules and regulatory jurisdiction.” In this vein, Mr. Atkins particularly focused on recent collaborations between the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, including the Memorandum of Understanding the two agencies entered into on March 11, 2026.
- Transform — Reducing immaterial requirements and directives (e.g., disclosures, enforcement actions), while prioritizing regulations and policies that protect investors.
Also see the speeches at the conference by SEC Commissioners Hester Peirce and Mark Uyeda as well as by Jennifer Riegel and Amy Reischauer, deputy directors in the
SEC’s Office of the Advocate for Small Business Capital Formation.