SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce is retiring on October 2

[greysonz]

Hester Peirce "Crypto Mom" is retiring on October 2.
She worked at the agency for nine years and fought to ensure the "rules of the game" were clear and not reduced to constant harassment. She wanted clear regulation, not fines. This is happening against the backdrop of the failure to pass the Clarity Act.
Now the SEC has two commissioners, Paul Atkins and Mark Ueda, which will obviously slow down the SEC's decision-making process. I note that both of these commissioners share Hester's views.
In fact, the strategies she laid out are approved until 2030, so it's likely that nothing will change in this regard during that period.

According to SEC regulations, this group should consist of five people. And right now, two Democratic seats are empty, but perhaps that's a good thing, as the current commissioners will be able to rewrite the SEC's internal guidelines in favor of the crypto market without unnecessary controversy or opposition.

[stadus]

Sad to see her leaving as she is a crypto advocate, however its not something that we should panic about, as rules are already in place, so even if she left those rules are already there, and the remaining commissioners are bound to continue it, so the business will continue. lets not think that the current direction of SEC depends on her.

[eternalgloom]

Yeah, Crypto Mom had good intentions, but the result? Virtually nil.

but perhaps that's a good thing, as the current commissioners will be able to rewrite the SEC's internal guidelines in favor of the crypto market without unnecessary controversy or opposition.

Having only two commissioner is major bottleneck.

If SEC attempt to make any major decision or policy change with only two commissioner, it will face legal challenge.

Moreover such vacancies would make it difficult to secure a quorum, causing file to get stuck and further entrenching trend of keeping decision in limbo.

[Faisal2202]

Yeah, Crypto Mom had good intentions, but the result? Virtually nil.

but perhaps that's a good thing, as the current commissioners will be able to rewrite the SEC's internal guidelines in favor of the crypto market without unnecessary controversy or opposition.

Having only two commissioner is major bottleneck.

Having good intentions might not do anything good, but still, she did what she could. She was just one commissioner, and you know she did not have the authority to make a huge change. But she said what was right and pointed out everything that she could that was wrong about the SEC. She spoke on the disapproval of BTC ETFs in 2018, in 2024, and said the SEC was harsh, but like her, thousands of others said it too.

You know, even then, she alone can't do anything because if two commissioners are a bottleneck, then how can one do it? BTW, there are 5, OP mentioned that too.

[BIT-BENDER]

Sad to see her leaving as she is a crypto advocate, however its not something that we should panic about, as rules are already in place, so even if she left those rules are already there, and the remaining commissioners are bound to continue it, so the business will continue. lets not think that the current direction of SEC depends on her.

I must have lost track of the whole thing but is she the one that Donald Trump was very eager to remove from sit, id you can cast you mind back to when Donald Trump was recently elected he made it clear that he was against a certain female who was the SEC commissioner, I don't know if she was the one.
Honestly good luck to her but I don't think that there is any work she has done that is worth us getting enthusiastic about and hopefully her successor would do more.

[Munshi Prem Chand]

Hester Peirce "Crypto Mom" is retiring on October 2.

Very true. Especially as she was one of the few people within the agency that spoke out against endless enforcement. Her departure will be felt. It's unfortunate that there are 0 democrats left. That's going to result in a lawsuit over every major decision the SEC makes.

She'd been in holdover status since her term actually expired last year. Starting in November she'll be teaching at a law school. Atkins and Uyeda are the only commissioners left but SEC rules allow them to continue to operate with only two.

Not sure it'll be that significant of a loss. She, Atkins, Uyeda all shared similar views so it's unlikely the SEC is going to take a U-turn. Her dissenting opinions were prolific and spoke volumes. Respectful nod to her for sticking with them for years. IMO though, the continued stall of the Clarity Act is the much greater issue.

[Alphakilo]

Sad to see her leaving as she is a crypto advocate, however its not something that we should panic about, as rules are already in place, so even if she left those rules are already there, and the remaining commissioners are bound to continue it, so the business will continue. lets not think that the current direction of SEC depends on her.

The current direction of the SEC doesn't really depend on her or would fail in her absence, but the major concern for now is about the remaining two commissioners left with the power of decision making.
While they bear the responsibility to make the decisions, they have to agree because any disagreement would stall the decision making progress instead of to make it see the light of day.

[sunsilk]

Gensler made more noise in the SEC than crypto mom. But it's sad to see her go but despite that she made contribution as a pro crypto.

Even without her there I think that the influence she made might get some favorable decisions for the entire crypto.

She should have given a longer post but if she's to retire, I hope that she'd enjoy that retirement outside the noise of politics and crypto.

[fullfitlarry]

I don't think that there are controversial when she was in the office.

In fact, she was considered pro-crypto isn't she? And for sure she could have some unfinished business in the SEC. And we can only hope that the replacement will not be worse or completely make a U-turn on SEC's stand on crypto.

[X-ray]

Yeah, Crypto Mom had good intentions, but the result? Virtually nil.

I wouldn't call the result as virtually nil with the codification of "Regulation Crypto Asset" and the repeal SAB 121, whether anyone might see it as good or bad.

In fact I think she has done so many actually, but it was rarely discussed here.

And lately she's very recently against mass KYC collection and to replace it with zero knowledge proof, which is exactly what we want.

Too bad, she's retiring.

[Majestic-milf]

 It's good to note that Paul Atkins and Mark share her views on crypto so they can hopefully continue in achieving her dream.
 Hester's retirement had been anticipated since May, apparently she's leaving to go serve as an associate professor at the Regent University School of  Law.
Hester served as counsel to Paul Atkins during his first term as SEC chair and also was the head of the cryptocurrency taskforce team.
She was a Republican along with Paul and Mark but now her seat is vacant, it's now up to Trump to fill those seats although it can be operated by less than three members owing to a rule that was formed in 1995.
 

[Somegory]

She raised the concern about the dark sides of KYC verification, I hate to see her go now because this could be the end and silence is all we are going to hear into the future and meanwhile, the data leaks keeps happening nonstop.

It's time we do the needful ourselves, I have decided to stop passing KYC verification online unless it's not crypto and Bitcoin related, if I have to buy Bitcoin I will start considering Peer to Peer.

KYC verification is now a death sentence that counts down like a time BOMB and many people are still turning their back like it can never happen to them, it's better to be safer than sorry later.

[Sammysmart001]

Yeah, Crypto Mom had good intentions, but the result? Virtually nil.

I wouldn't call the result as virtually nil with the codification of "Regulation Crypto Asset" and the repeal SAB 121, whether anyone might see it as good or bad.

In fact I think she has done so many actually, but it was rarely discussed here.

And lately she's very recently against mass KYC collection and to replace it with zero knowledge proof, which is exactly what we want.

Too bad, she's retiring.

Saying that the result was virtually nil it a bit strong, what so ever someone view of her approach, during this period around crypto there have been actual changes and regulatory work. In march the SEC happens to issued a crypto assets interpretation and later in august they proposed regulation Crypto assets, so this would be difficult to have say that, nothing has happened. https://www.sec.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2026-30-sec-clarifies-application-federal-securities-laws-crypto-assets?utm_source=chatgpt.com

And again her individual influence it will be fair to separate it from SEC as whole was able to accomplish. The direction of an entire agency can’t be decided by one commissioner alone. Her departure is more about having to loss on particular voice within the commission, than the entire crypto policy direction changing overnight.

[348Judah]

Nothing is constant about this life, we are all here to leave it within the short period and make significant impact, she has tried her best and performed our rule and we are more proud of being able to identify her as one of those that we support cryptocurrency and not to keep against it, I hope that someone next coming after her we also continue with the fight to ensure Bitcoin get the actual recognition it's needed in cryptocurrency and to the entire world.

[snowpega]

Sad to see her leaving as she is a crypto advocate, however its not something that we should panic about, as rules are already in place, so even if she left those rules are already there, and the remaining commissioners are bound to continue it, so the business will continue. lets not think that the current direction of SEC depends on her.

I never followed her. But as you said, she is a crypto advocate; then is she going to leave her position as an SEC Commissioner?
There must be a specific reason for that. Obviously, no one will leave such a high position by choice, right? Most importantly, if she was not against cryptocurrency and the current government is also supporting cryptocurrency, then this makes me wonder why she is taking retirement.

And if I have to share my point of view on this. Then I would say there is something cooking inside which is not disclosed to the public yet. I mean to say, current regulators and the government are planning something that can benefit themselves. This is just my point of view. CMIIW! Do you sense anything similar in this case? Or am I just overthinking?

[Rruchi man]

Having only two commissioner is major bottleneck.

Yes, in the case of a vote, if the two commissioners have varying opinions and views that translate into votes, they will be stuck with a 1-1 tie, and no person to break it.

The SEC must seek to quickly replace Hester Peirce as her tenure ends as commissioner to have a third person so decisions that involve a vote will be easier to arrive at.

Having just two commissioners will not help.

[Zlantann]

I must have lost track of the whole thing but is she the one that Donald Trump was very eager to remove from sit, id you can cast you mind back to when Donald Trump was recently elected he made it clear that he was against a certain female who was the SEC commissioner, I don't know if she was the one.
Honestly good luck to her but I don't think that there is any work she has done that is worth us getting enthusiastic about and hopefully her successor would do more.

Donald Trump wants Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook to resign because she voted against interest rate cuts. He claimed that she made false statements on mortgage applications and deserves to leave the Fed. Hester Peirce has a cordial relationship with the president and resigned because her second term as a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) commissioner has expired.

I don't think that there are controversial when she was in the office.

In fact, she was considered pro-crypto isn't she? And for sure she could have some unfinished business in the SEC. And we can only hope that the replacement will not be worse or completely make a U-turn on SEC's stand on crypto.

Trump will ensure that he appoints a loyalist who will do his bidding. The present administration has made some favorable crypto policies, so we hope that the new appointee will be pro-crypto. Potential replacements include Steven Levine, Ammon Simon, and Jeffrey Dinwoodie.

[Hamza2424]

I must have lost track of the whole thing but is she the one that Donald Trump was very eager to remove from sit, id you can cast you mind back to when Donald Trump was recently elected he made it clear that he was against a certain female who was the SEC commissioner, I don't know if she was the one.
Honestly good luck to her but I don't think that there is any work she has done that is worth us getting enthusiastic about and hopefully her successor would do more.

Nop, you are talking about Caroline Crenshaw, because she was from the Biden administration, although the crypto mom here was appointed by Trump back in 2018. So if she was appointed by Trump, then why would he want her out? So she can't be the right person. You must be talking about Caroline Crenshaw. She was the one who had some trouble last year too.

[LFC_Bitcoin]

She’s been pro Bitcoin and in our corner for many years. It’s a shame that she’ll be stepping down but the show must go on. Hopefully somebody equally pro Bitcoin replaces her. I can remember how much a dick Gensler was even though he was supposedly pro Bitcoin.

[Livingleged]

~snip
Now the SEC has two commissioners, Paul Atkins and Mark Ueda, which will obviously slow down the SEC's decision-making process. I note that both of these commissioners share Hester's views.
In fact, the strategies she laid out are approved until 2030, so it's likely that nothing will change in this regard during that period.

According to SEC regulations, this group should consist of five people. And right now, two Democratic seats are empty, but perhaps that's a good thing, as the current commissioners will be able to rewrite the SEC's internal guidelines in favor of the crypto market without unnecessary controversy or opposition.

Well, to me it doesn’t mean having only Atkin and Uyeda, I guess you wrongly spelt means the SEC will automatically become more crypto friendly, or that nothing will change until 2030. The SEC is Normally made up five commissioners, and vacant seat can be filled later. Atkin ad uyeda have both support clearer cryptocurrency regulation, but further decision will still depend on the commissioners , SEC staff, and the rule that are actually adopted. It better to look at the actual rule and decision rather than assume that SEC will do years from now.