Paul Atkins is Donald Trump’s choice to be the next chairman of the US Securities and Exchange Commission when Gary Gensler steps down. The conservative Republican previously served as SEC commissioner from 2002 to 2008. He is also well acquainted with two other GOP appointed commissioners and together, the trio will have the required majority to lead the commission.

Atkins seems to be a shoo in, nevertheless, don’t expect the new top securities cop to smoothly follow his predecessor’s strategy. His supporters hope that he will adopt a lighter regulatory approach towards topics such as climate change and diversity. Above all, he is expected to reverse heavy cryptocurrency regulations. Atkins, the founder of Global Partners, a fintech consultancy boutique, advises his clients on issues related to crypto and digital assets. He is also a member of the advisory board for Securitize, a firm that promotes the use of digital tokens.

Gensler, his predecessor, didn’t hesitate to file suit against Coinbase, a major crypto exchange. Atkins, a friend of the industry, could find a settlement that is favorable to Coinbase.

Trump’s appointees distinguish themselves by their conciliatory approach. That’s also the case with Andrew Ferguson who is currently the Republican member of the Federal Trade Commission. He will succeed Lina Khan as chair of that agency.

Being already in place, the Senate will not need to confirm Ferguson, when Khan steps down. Ferguson traveled to Mar-a-Lago to plead his case. His message: the new chair will abandon tougher standards for acquisitions. Khan was emboldened to challenge even the biggest tech companies, such as Microsoft, Amazon or Meta. Ferguson, on the other hand, who was a clerk for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and a chief counsel to Republican Senator Mitch McConnell, will adopt a looser regulatory approach. Nonetheless, he will confront social media sites that police conservatory voices. Ferguson wrote on X, Elon Musk’s social media platform, that “The FTC must protect Americans’ freedom of speech online.”

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