⚡️NUGGS⚡️v95

In partnership with

1440: Your Weekly Business Cheat Sheet

Expand your business and finance knowledge with 1440. Get clear, conversational breakdowns of the key concepts in business and finance—no paywalls, no spin. Every Thursday, 1440 delivers deep dives, interactive charts, and rapid market rundowns trusted by 100k+ professionals.

Sign Up Today

We may be witnessing one of the most important slow pivots in U.S. crypto regulation right now.

The media won’t cover this like a major headline—but this matters. A lot.

🔑What Happened:

The SEC officially announced four senior leadership hires on Friday — two of whom have significant crypto industry experience.

Since taking over as SEC Chairman in April, Paul Atkins is delivering on his early promise:

👉 Move the SEC towards a more balanced, innovation-friendly crypto regulatory stance.

🔹The Key Appointments:

1️⃣ Jamie Selway — New Director of Trading and Markets (Starting June 17th)

• Former partner at Sophron Advisors advising capital markets clients.

• Previously served as Global Head of Institutional Markets at Blockchain (2018-2019) — one of the largest early crypto infrastructure players.

• Direct experience bridging Wall Street + crypto liquidity venues.

Selway’s own words:

“Chairman Atkins is bringing about a ‘new day’ at the SEC. We will promote innovation while protecting investors.”

Translation: They want real institutional market structure for crypto, not blanket enforcement.

2️⃣ Brian Daly — New Director of Investment Management (Starting July 8th)

• Former partner at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP.

• Specializes in:

  • Digital asset regulations

  • Cryptocurrency fund structures

  • Custody frameworks

  • Hedge funds & broker-dealer licensing

• Daly’s recent commentary makes this even more significant:

When the SEC reversed the Biden-era SAB 121 rule (which previously prevented U.S. banks from holding customer crypto assets), Daly stated:

“The prior rule made it impossible for responsible banks and intermediaries to custody crypto. That rule blocked the entire system from functioning properly.”

In short → he wants custody infrastructure open for regulated crypto players.

🔹Other Appointments Also Signal Realignment:

• Erik Hotmire: Returns as Chief External Affairs Officer

• Kurt Hohl: Named new Chief Accountant

Both have strong capital markets experience and are part of Atkins’ push to restore credibility post-Gensler.

🔹Zoom Out: Why This Matters

👉 Paul Atkins took office April 22nd, replacing Gary Gensler.

Under Gensler:

• Aggressive enforcement-first approach

• Minimal regulatory clarity

• Numerous lawsuits targeting both legitimate and fraudulent crypto firms indiscriminately

Under Atkins:

• Policy shift: clear rules of the road > enforcement by litigation

• SEC hosted its first Crypto Roundtable Task Force in March.

• Prominent voices like a16z have praised the shift as long overdue.

As a16z General Counsel Miles Jennings put it:

“The last administration’s approach didn’t lead to investor protection, capital formation, or efficient markets. It simply drove innovation offshore.”

🔑Big Picture Takeaways for Investors

• This is NOT just about personnel — it’s about full regulatory positioning.

• The U.S. may finally be moving toward a true licensing framework for:

  • Spot crypto ETFs (beyond BTC/ETH)

  • Custody solutions (allowing banks to offer crypto)

  • Broker-dealer approvals (allowing proper listing & trading)

  • Permissioned lending, staking & yield products

• The capital formation pipelines that TradFi funds and banks have been waiting for may finally open.

🔮Why This Could Be a Mega Catalyst for 2025-2026:

✅ Spot Solana ETFs → more likely

✅ Altcoin staking ETF models → gaining steam

✅ Institutional custody solutions → finally greenlit

✅ Venture capital dry powder → sitting ready to deploy

✅ Corporate treasury models (like FET/TRNR yesterday) → growing fast

✅ AI + crypto fusion narratives → supported by clearer regulation

The market still isn’t fully pricing in how much a U.S. regulatory green light could unlock in capital flows. This leadership restructuring is one of the strongest forward signals yet.

Bottom Line:

This is quietly one of the most bullish developments for crypto’s next growth cycle.

New leadership. New structure. Actual rules.

Less courtroom drama. More capital formation.

-Nick

Founder, CryptoNuggs