Who is chair of sec

He also said the SEC would push forward into environmental, social and governance ESG issues, asking for more information from companies about their policies on climate and diversity. Gensler said Congress may want to weigh in on regulation of crypto exchanges, noting that for bitcoin exchanges "there is no authority to register and write rules to protect the investing public. The investing public would benefit from more regulation" around crypto exchanges. In what has become a persistent theme, Gensler urged the roughly 1, professionals listening in to be motivated by an interest in protecting the investing public.

In an interview with Forbes last month, SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce acknowledged Gensler will have a "very busy agenda—much of which will have nothing to do with crypto," but she said he's likely to be "sympathetic to the call for regulatory clarity" in the space.

The SEC has long delayed issuing firm regulation targeting digital currencies given its purview over securities and not currencies , but Gensler—a professor focused on cryptocurrencies and blockchain technology at the MIT Sloan School of Management—will be overseeing the agency as it takes on a slew of bitcoin exchange-traded fund applications and as it investigates Ripple, the firm behind one of the world's largest cryptocurrencies, for the alleged sale of unregistered securities.

Gensler demonstrated a willingness to push the legal limits of that agency's authority," Sen. Patrick Toomey R-Pa. This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here. Edit Story. Democrats also are keen to reverse new investment advice protections which they say do more harm than good, to restore some shareholder rights, and complete post-crisis executive compensation curbs. A former Wall Street lawyer, the incumbent Clayton was criticized by Democrats for his extensive ties to many companies he was tasked with overseeing and for leading an ambitious agenda to reverse a year decline in U.

Among the most controversial changes were measures critics said reduced corporate disclosures to investors, weakened auditor independence, made it harder for shareholders to push for corporate votes on issues such as climate change and racial justice, and allowed more retail investors to dabble in private company investments.

Clayton has said his changes maintained important investor and marketplace protections, and his tough stance cracking down on cryptocurrency frauds and offerings won praise from consumer groups.