SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce, the newly appointed leader of the regulatory body’s crypto task force, has a notable history of supporting the crypto industry as one of the Republican members overseeing the federal securities regulator. In a late February conversation with CoinDesk, she outlined her strategy.
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During a February 28, 2025 interview with CoinDesk, SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce discussed her role in the crypto task force just hours before President Donald Trump announced his White House crypto summit.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is a major regulator overseeing the crypto industry in the country. Its approach has often been a source of frustration. Peirce, who has served as a commissioner since 2018, now aims to alter the regulator’s method of dealing with the entire industry. As part of this effort, the SEC will host a crypto policy event on March 21.
Peirce began the interview by stating her views are her own and may not reflect those of the SEC or her fellow commissioners. She expressed her satisfaction with the work achieved by the task force thus far, and stated their aim is to clarify what falls within the SEC’s jurisdiction and provide a clear path for those fearful their activities might fall within the SEC’s scope.
Peirce and her team are striving to gather public opinions and suggestions to shape their approach moving forward. The task force’s main goal is to provide clarity on some of the long-term issues around the tokenization of securities and the role of broker-dealers or trading platforms that aim to have securities alongside non-securities.
Peirce also mentioned the task force’s areas of focus, including stablecoin legislation, which she believes is an area where Congress has a role to play. She also referred to bills that aim to clarify what should fall under the jurisdiction of the SEC and what might be under the jurisdiction of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
When asked about the timeline for the SEC to start issuing more concrete guidance, Peirce said their goal is speed, but also cautioned that people need to be patient as they want to get things done right. She emphasized that the task force is working with people across the SEC and pieces of guidance will be released as they become ready.
On the topic of recent cases against crypto companies, Peirce stated that enforcement should follow policy, not drive it. She clarified that while enforcement has a role, its resources should be saved for instances of bad conduct within their jurisdiction.
Toward the end of the interview, Peirce expressed her continued support for some form of safe harbor for the industry, a concept she introduced a while ago. She reiterated her desire to encourage and reward good disclosure practices, discouraging actions that might make companies targets of SEC enforcement.
In closing, Peirce invited the public and the crypto industry to visit the SEC’s crypto webpage, send messages, and meet with the task force to provide their input and thoughts.
