SKN | SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce to Leave Agency on Oct. 2

Key Points

• SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce will leave the agency on Oct. 2 after nearly nine years on the commission.
• Peirce, known as “Crypto Mom,” led the SEC’s Crypto Task Force and has consistently advocated clearer rules for digital assets.
• Her departure will leave SEC Chairman Paul Atkins and Commissioner Mark Uyeda as the agency’s remaining commissioners unless another appointment is made.

Peirce Sets October 2 Departure

Hester Peirce has formally resigned from the US Securities and Exchange Commission, setting Oct. 2 as her final day at the agency after nearly nine years as a commissioner.

Peirce posted her resignation letter on X, describing her service at the SEC as an honor and thanking President Donald Trump for the opportunity. She also cited the leadership of SEC Chairman Paul Atkins and Commissioner Mark Uyeda, who remain on the commission.

Peirce joined the SEC in January 2018 and remained in office after her formal term expired in June 2025. SEC rules allow commissioners to continue serving for a period after their terms expire when successors have not yet been appointed.

Her departure comes as the SEC continues implementing a significantly different approach to digital asset regulation under the current leadership.

Crypto Task Force Role

Peirce became director of the SEC’s Crypto Task Force in February 2025, giving her a central role in the agency’s effort to establish a clearer framework for digital assets and decentralized technologies.

The task force has examined how existing securities laws apply to crypto assets and activities while engaging with industry participants, investors and other regulators.

Peirce’s recent SEC work has included statements on crypto lending, transfer-agent rules and proposed regulations covering digital assets. In August, she argued that securities rules should be clear and workable for legitimate crypto activities rather than relying on rules she considered poorly suited to the technology.

She also supported the SEC’s recent innovation exemption for onchain trading of stocks listed on major US exchanges. In a Sept. 17 statement, Peirce said the exemptions would allow market participants to experiment with tokenized stock trading while the agency works toward longer-term rules.

SEC Faces Another Vacancy

Peirce’s departure will leave the SEC with two sitting commissioners unless her seat is filled.

Former Democratic Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw left the agency in January 2025 after her term had already expired, and the source article states that no nomination had been made to fill that position at the time of publication.

The reduced commission membership could affect the pace and structure of future SEC rulemaking, particularly as the agency continues addressing digital assets, tokenized securities and other financial technologies.

Peirce Moves to Academia

Following her departure, Peirce is expected to join Regent University School of Law in Virginia as an associate professor in November.

Her academic work is expected to cover areas including federal litigation, securities regulation and digital assets, extending her involvement in legal and policy discussions beyond her SEC tenure.

Peirce’s transition to academia also comes after a period in which the SEC’s Crypto Task Force has become an important part of the agency’s effort to define how federal securities rules apply to emerging blockchain-based markets.

Outlook

Peirce’s Oct. 2 departure marks the end of a long SEC tenure during which digital assets became an increasingly important part of the agency’s regulatory agenda. The commission will continue its crypto-related work under Atkins and Uyeda, while the future composition of the agency and any successor appointments could shape the direction and pace of subsequent digital asset policy.