SEC Nominee Atkins Advanced by Senate Banking Committee

The Senate Banking Committee advanced the nomination of Paul Atkins to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday.

If confirmed to the role by the US Senate, Atkins is expected to rein in SEC enforcement while playing a major role in shaping new regulations for the digital-asset industry. The timing of that vote hasn’t been scheduled yet.

Atkins was a Republican SEC commissioner from 2002 to 2008. After departing from the agency, he launched Patomak Global Partners, a Washington consulting firm. Patomak has worked with prominent names on Wall Street, and Atkins has held a number of advisory ...