SEC crypto advocate Hester Peirce to leave on October 2, 2026; White House has not named successor

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Commissioner Hester Peirce will leave the agency on October 2, 2026, while the White House has not announced a nominee to succeed her. After Peirce's departure, the SEC commission will have only Chair Paul Atkins and Republican Commissioner Mark Uyeda as members.

Peirce's second five-year term expired in June 2025, but she continued serving at the SEC in a holdover capacity. She previously led the SEC's crypto task force, which was responsible for developing workable solutions to crypto regulatory issues.

During Peirce's tenure, the SEC issued policy statements and guidance covering mining, staking, memecoins and crypto-asset classification. In August 2026, the SEC proposed a rule called Regulation Crypto Assets, intended to allow certain crypto companies to raise funds without going through traditional securities-registration procedures.

In September 2026, the SEC issued an order allowing some tokenized U.S. stocks to trade on blockchain platforms under a temporary and limited regulatory framework. After Peirce's departure, the SEC commission will have only two members.

Peirce said regulators should strike a balance between individual choice and reasonable regulatory parameters.