SEC commissioner Hester Peirce resigns effective October 2
Peirce, known as "Crypto Mom" for her advocacy of clear crypto rules, is leaving the SEC after about eight years, including a spell leading its Crypto Task Force.
Key points
- Peirce posted her resignation letter on X on Friday, with the departure effective Oct. 2.
- She has served on the commission for about eight years and led the Crypto Task Force since Feb. 4, 2025.
- Her term officially expired in June 2025, and commissioners may serve up to roughly 18 months beyond that if not replaced.
- She is expected to join Regent University's law school in Virginia as an associate professor in November.
- Her seat may stay vacant, as no nomination has been made to fill the Democratic seat left by Caroline Crenshaw in January.
SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce has formally resigned from the US Securities and Exchange Commission, with her departure effective Oct. 2, Cointelegraph reports. She posted a copy of her resignation letter on her X account on Friday. Peirce is widely known as "Crypto Mom" for her advocacy of clear, rules-based regulation of the crypto industry.
In the letter, Peirce thanked the president for what she called the honour of her professional lifetime serving as a commissioner. She said she was leaving the SEC under the excellent leadership of Chairman Paul Atkins and Commissioner Mark Uyeda. Those two remaining members are both Republicans.
Resignation letter posted
Peirce served on the commission for about eight years. Since Feb. 4, 2025, she has also been director of the agency's Crypto Task Force. Her term at the SEC officially expired in June 2025. According to the agency, commissioners may continue to serve for up to approximately 18 months after their terms expire if they are not replaced before then.
Cointelegraph reported in May that Peirce planned to join the law school of Regent University in Virginia as an associate professor in November. The university said she is expected to help the law school strengthen its academic focus in areas including federal litigation, securities regulation and digital assets.
Eight years at the SEC
Her seat may not be filled immediately. Caroline Crenshaw, the agency's previous Democratic commissioner, departed in January, 18 months after her term ended, and President Donald Trump has made no nominations to fill that seat. Since Trump took office in January 2025, the SEC has radically changed its approach to crypto regulation and enforcement, dropping several enforcement actions and investigations into crypto companies, including those tied to Trump and his family.
Since its formation, the Crypto Task Force has been examining how existing securities laws should apply to digital assets and decentralized systems. Cointelegraph reported in June that Peirce said publishing open-source code should not subject software developers to federal securities regulations, weighing in on a longstanding debate over developer liability in decentralized finance. Her remarks aligned with the SEC's broader shift away from what Atkins has described as "regulation by enforcement."