U.S. SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce to Leave Position on October 2

ChainCatcher report: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Commissioner Hester Peirce announced she will resign on October 2. She disclosed this date in a resignation letter posted on the social media platform X on Friday. Known in the industry as the “Crypto Mom,” Peirce has long advocated for clear regulations for the crypto sector, continuing to push for regulatory clarity despite the SEC’s aggressive enforcement stance under former Chairs Jay Clayton and Gary Gensler. During the Trump administration, she played a role in rulemaking and was appointed last year to lead the SEC’s newly formed crypto task force. Her work in crypto has included policy statements and guidance on areas such as mining, staking, and meme coins, with a primary focus on classifying and defining various crypto assets to clarify regulatory jurisdiction. Recently, the SEC has begun proposing formal rules, starting with “Regulation Crypto Assets,” which aims to establish a framework for crypto asset issuance that avoids triggering strict securities regulations. The SEC has also opened a pathway for securities tokenization through an “innovation exemption,” launching the era of securities tokenization with a five-year limited duration. Peirce will join Regent University School of Law as an associate professor. Following her departure, the SEC will be left with only two commissioners—Atkins and Mark Uyeda—whose number is sufficient to constitute a quorum under existing rules. On the same day, the SEC released a frequently asked questions (FAQ) document on crypto assets, addressing how to avoid triggering the “essential managerial efforts” designation in token marketing, as well as issues relating to staking receipts and when secondary market participants may be considered “promoters” of an investment contract.