This is a segment from the Empire newsletter. To read full editions, subscribe.

Crypto is “really exciting,” former SEC Commissioner Paul Atkins said in a podcast interview last year. 

In that same interview, he noted that the FTX collapse just happened to occur in crypto but essentially, fraud is fraud. He compared Sam Bankman-Fried’s actions to Bernie Madoff’s. 

Aside from public appearances, it’s clear that Atkins — who, in case you somehow missed it, is officially President-elect Donald Trump’s pick to take over the SEC — is not only knowledgeable about crypto but has been active in the space for years.

On paper, Atkins looks pretty pro-crypto, but…

Read more on Blockworks