SEC Chairman Atkins predicts tokenization in US markets within a few years

Rapid advances in e-commerce and blockchain technology are driving the biggest transformation of the U.S. financial system in decades, Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins said, predicting that tokenization will become a key feature of U.S. markets within just a few years.

“The next step is digital assets, digitization and tokenization of the market,” Atkins told FOX Business’ Maria Bartiromo, adding that the shift could happen faster than many expect.

“This is what the world is going to be like… maybe not even in ten years, maybe even much less, maybe a few years from now.”

The Digital Assets Group sets the blockchain policy objectives

In an exclusive interview with “Mornings with Maria” on Wednesday, Atkins was optimistic that tokenization will bring “huge benefits” such as greater predictability and transparency, noting that cross-chain settlement could ultimately reduce risk by narrowing or eliminating the traditional gap between trade execution, payment and final settlement.

He added that this shift comes at a time when regulators are rethinking their approach to digital assets.

“The problem we’ve seen here over the last few years is that the SEC historically has not necessarily been at the forefront of driving new innovations. It has always been a little bit behind the market,” Atkins said.

Trump pledges to make the United States a “Bitcoin superpower and the undisputed cryptocurrency capital of the world.”

The opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange in New York City on May 28, 2025. (Adam Gray for Fox News Digital/Fox News)

“But here lately, he’s been almost at a standstill [in] The market with all these new innovations coming out…we’re actually embracing it, and I think we need to embrace it to keep the US ahead of the curve in terms of cryptocurrencies and so forth.”

Atkins noted that the United States now takes a markedly different stance toward digital assets than it did just a few years ago, saying that the United States and Communist China were “the only two countries” moving to make cryptocurrencies illegal.

Click here to download the FOX NEWS app

“It’s a new day now, so we want to embrace this new technology and take it ashore where it can operate under American rules,” he said.

“And with FTX collapsing overseas, LedgerX didn’t skip anything. All of the clients’ assets were accounted for because they had segregated accounts under CFTC rules. I think that was a good example of good regulations that protect investors.”