Paul Atkins, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), recently addressed the Senate Banking Committee on March 27, calling for a clear and supportive framework for the cryptocurrency market.
He said, “Since 2017, as I have led industry efforts to develop best practices for the digital asset industry, I have seen how ambiguous and non-existent regulations for digital assets create uncertainty in the market and inhibit innovation.”
Atkins said that a top priority of his chairmanship will be to work with his fellow commissioners and Congress to provide a firm regulatory foundation for digital assets through a rational, coherent, and principled approach.
He criticized outdated rules that block innovation and said vague policies have undermined investor confidence. Atkins vowed to create a framework that encourages growth, technology, and investor protection, aligning with Trump’s vision for global leadership in digital assets.
“It is time for the SEC to return to its core mission that Congress set out for it: investor protection; fair, orderly, and efficient markets; and capital formation,” he added.
Atkins, a former SEC commissioner and current CEO of Patomak Global Partners, opened up about the need for regulatory clarity in the rapidly growing digital asset space.
“I am eager to get to work for American markets and investors. Should I be confirmed, my goal will be to ensure that the United States is the best and most secure place in the world to do business and for Americans to invest their hard-earned dollars to save and provide for their future,” he explained.
Welcome to the US Morning Crypto News Briefing—your essential rundown of the most important developments in crypto for the day ahead.
Grab a coffee to see what experts think about the Ripple price given the growing approval odds for XRP ETF (exchange-traded funds) in the US. These financial instruments offer investors indirect exposure to crypto and progressively draw institutional players to the digital assets space.
Meanwhile, ETF analyst Eric Balchunas has appealed to Paul Atkins for hints about when the US SEC will approve the first spot XRP ETF, among other altcoin-based financial instruments.
He and his colleague, ETF analyst James Seyffart, remain optimistic that approving additional altcoin-related ETFs beyond Ethereum is only a matter of time.
“Would love to hear directly from Atkins, but all good chance of happening,” Balchunas posed.
Specifically, for them, XRP ETF holds an 85% chance of approval, placing it among the frontrunners for regulatory approval in 2025. Balchunas also shared a list outlining the approval probabilities for various spot crypto ETFs.
Bloomberg XRP ETF approval odds in 2025. Source: Balchunas on X
Meanwhile, Seyffart notes that delays in approval should not come as a surprise. He urges crypto market participants to hold out hope beyond October 2025 and year-end in the worst-case scenario.
“…Final deadlines for most of this stuff is in October 2025 or later,” Seyffart stated.
However, Balchunas acknowledges that Paul Atkins’s confirmation as the new SEC chair has set the ball rolling.
“…nothing was going to get approved until Atkins was confirmed…he just got confirmed and they’ve been taking outside meetings with people. Probably coming up with a strategy. After that, likely approvals,” Balchunas opined.
Crypto traders and investors would surely welcome more altcoin-based exchange-traded funds beyond the Ethereum ETF. Such financial instruments would give crypto more legitimacy, open the playing field for institutional participation, and, hence, increase liquidity.
A recent US Crypto News publication indicated growing adoption for BTC over gold, ascribing the traction to Bitcoin ETF inflows surging against lagging gold ETPs (exchange-traded products).
Despite the false claims, the approval of ProShares’ XRP futures ETF sparked optimism. Experts now predict that a spot XRP ETF could follow, potentially attracting $100 billion to the payments token.
“A spot XRP ETF could be next, unlocking real demand and sending prices soaring. $100 billion+ could soon flood into XRP,” wrote industry expert Armando Pantoja.
Crypto.com and Trump Media have reached a final agreement for their partnership towards the launch of the latter’s crypto ETFs. The crypto exchange will assist the US president’s company in launching these ETFs, which will focus on digital assets and some securities.
Crypto.com And Trump Media Sign Binding Agreement
In a press release, Trump Media announced that it has signed a binding agreement to partner with Crypto.com and Yorkville America Digital to launch a series of exchange-traded funds and exchange-traded products through the Truth.Fi brand.
This follows a non-binding agreement, which the parties signed in March. As part of the agreement, Trump Media’s ETFs will be available through Crypto.com’s broker-dealer, Foris Capital US LLC.
The ETFs will comprise digital assets and securities with a focus on Made in America, including industries such as energy. As CoinGape reported in February, Trump Media filed trademarks for the Truth.Fi Bitcoin Plus ETF, Truth.Fi Bitcoin Plus SMA, Truth.Fi Made in America ETF, Truth.Fi Made in America SMA, Truth.Fi US Energy Independence ETF and Truth.Fi US Energy Independence SMA.
According to the press release, these funds will launch later this year, subject to regulatory approval. They will be available internationally, including in the US, Europe, and Asia, across existing platforms and brokerages.
Commenting on this development, the CEO of the top crypto exchange, Kris Marszalek, said,
“Crypto.com is the leading platform to bridge crypto and traditional finance, and this agreement is a testament to those capabilities. This partnership gives the Trump Media ETFs global distribution powered by the Crypto.com platform. It’s a win for Trump Media, Crypto.com, CRO, and Yorkville America Digital.”
It is worth mentioning that Trump Media plans to launch these ETFs alongside a slate of Truth.Fi Separately Managed Accounts (SMAs). The company plans to invest in the ETFs and SMAs through its cash reserves, and these financial products form part of the firm’s FinTech strategy, in which it will use up to $250 million to be custodied by Charles Schwab.
CoinGape recently reported that Charles Schwab plans to launch crypto trading services by next year. However, it remains unclear which crypto assets will be available when this service goes live.
