U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is the primary regulator of U.S. securities markets, public companies and investment activity. Recent policy priorities include opening private markets to retail investors, easing fundraising rules for crypto startups, reviewing the approval process for novel ETFs, and advancing the tokenization of securities and deposits. The agency also continues to investigate insider trading and crypto fraud. Its policy direction will affect investor protection, market access and compliance costs for digital-asset companies, making the SEC important to watch.