Finance · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Hester Peirce Resigns From U.S. SEC, Leaving Chair Paul S. Atkins and Mark T. Uyeda
Hester Peirce resigns from the SEC effective October 2, 2026. She will join Regent University School of Law as an associate professor in November.
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Peirce exits SEC Oct. 2
Hester Peirce announced she will leave the Securities and Exchange Commission on October 2, and she said her resignation was an “honor” in her career.
Peirce posted a resignation letter dated September 21 on social media, and she told President Trump she was stepping down as of October 2.
The SEC’s active membership will drop to two commissioners, with Chair Paul S. Atkins and Commissioner Mark T. Uyeda remaining in service after Peirce’s departure.
Peirce said she opposed an “enforcement actions” approach to crypto regulation, arguing that “using enforcement actions to tell people what the law is in a new industry is not an effective or fair way to regulate.”
Peirce plans to join Regent University School of Law as an Associate Professor in November, after leaving her SEC role in public policy.
Crypto Task Force leadership
Peirce’s resignation also ends her leadership of the Crypto Task Force, the group responsible for driving much of the SEC’s new regulatory agenda for digital assets. Peirce had been designated in 2025 to lead the Crypto Task Force, and the group was developing approaches to digital-asset regulation including disclosure frameworks, registration pathways and distinctions between securities and non-securities. The SEC has been advancing 2026 initiatives aimed at establishing clearer criteria for determining when a cryptoasset may be subject to federal securities laws, including the proposed Regulation Crypto Assets.
Peirce’s departure raised questions about who would lead the Crypto Task Force during a phase when the SEC’s agenda was accelerating for digital assets. The White House had not announced a replacement for Peirce, leaving the SEC with vacant seats expected to be filled by Democrats that remained vacant.
Two-member SEC, policy risk
After October 2, the SEC will consist of Chairman Paul Atkins and Commissioner Mark T. Uyeda, and the agency’s internal rules allow two members to suffice to pass resolutions when the commission is incomplete.
The resignation came as the SEC published new token-classification FAQs, and the same period included a rulemaking push that featured the proposed Regulation Crypto Assets.
American Banker said the White House had not announced whom it will nominate to succeed Peirce as SEC commissioner, and it framed the uncertainty around the lack of a successor.
Peirce wrote that she left the position confident that the SEC would continue to achieve a balance between regulation and individual choice under Atkins and Uyeda.
Peirce’s exit therefore left the SEC’s crypto agenda in a reduced leadership configuration, with the Crypto Task Force expected to continue its work without the commissioner who led it.