U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Paul Atkins said on Friday that the agency is preparing reforms to corporate disclosure rules, a move that could give companies, including those in the crypto sector, greater flexibility over when they report earnings.
Speaking on CNBC, Atkins confirmed that the SEC is “prioritizing” a proposal to let markets, including investors and banks, determine the cadence of company reporting instead of sticking to mandatory quarterly schedules.
SEC’s Atkins Backs Flexible Reporting Cadence, Says Market Should Decide
The plan follows renewed calls this week from President Donald Trump to shift from quarterly to semiannual reporting, which he argued would save costs and allow executives to concentrate on long-term strategy.
Atkins said the rule change, if approved, would leave the decision in the hands of companies themselves. “For the sake of shareholders and public companies, the market can decide what the proper cadence is,” he noted.
Supporters of less frequent reporting, such as Norway’s sovereign wealth fund and the Long-Term Stock Exchange, say semiannual reports reduce the pressure of short-term thinking.
Opponents, however, argue that cutting down disclosures would reduce transparency, particularly harming retail investors who rely heavily on public filings.
If adopted, the shift could carry notable benefits for crypto firms navigating U.S. regulatory structures:
Filing fewer reports could ease the financial and administrative burden for crypto companies already juggling regulatory scrutiny. With less pressure to deliver short-term results, firms could devote greater attention to developing long-term blockchain strategies and expanding ecosystems. Flexible reporting cadence could allow companies to communicate performance in ways that better reflect the volatility and innovation cycles of the digital asset market.Atkins stressed that investors and banks will play a central role in setting expectations. “Investors will demand that sort of information at the cadence that’s appropriate to what the company’s doing,” he said, adding that banks will also weigh in given their role in lending and capital markets.
Currently, all publicly traded companies in the U.S. must file quarterly earnings reports, though forecasts remain voluntary. The SEC could alter that requirement with a majority vote, and with Republicans holding a 3-1 advantage and one seat open, the proposal faces a favorable political landscape.
Atkins pointed out that semiannual reporting is already standard practice for foreign private issuers trading in U.S. markets. “You have to realize that right now, semi-annual reporting is no stranger to our markets; foreign private issuers do it right now,” he said.
No timeline has been set for the change, but Atkins described the proposal as “a good way forward.” Trump first floated the idea in 2018 and revived the push earlier this week in a post on his social media platform.
SEC Shifts Tone on Crypto, Pairing Public Hearings With Compliance Outreach
The SEC is stepping up its engagement with the crypto sector through public hearings, policy outreach, and a shift in enforcement strategy.
On September 9, the agency announced that its Crypto Task Force will host a public hearing on October 17 at SEC headquarters in Washington.
The session, scheduled from 1-4 p.m., will focus on financial privacy and surveillance, bringing together experts developing technologies that protect individual data.
“Technology that helps Americans protect their privacy is critically important,” said Commissioner Hester M. Peirce, adding that insights from the event will guide future policy discussions in the crypto space.
At the same time, SEC leadership is signaling a softer approach to compliance. In a September 15 interview with the Financial Times, SEC Chair Paul Atkins said the agency will issue notices of technical violations before pursuing formal enforcement actions.
“You can’t just suddenly come and bash down their door,” Atkins said, criticizing the SEC’s past “shoot first and ask questions later” approach, which drew widespread industry pushback.
The SEC is also expanding its outreach efforts nationwide. On September 18, the Crypto Task Force held a roundtable in Chicago as part of its “On The Road” initiative, which has already visited Dallas, Boston, and Berkeley.
The sessions aim to include smaller crypto projects with fewer than ten employees, ensuring their perspectives shape regulatory frameworks.
According to the SEC, the goal is to create rules that reflect broad input across the digital asset industry.
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