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The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is losing one of its most influential figures of recent years. Cicely LaMothe, Deputy Director of the Division of Corporation Finance and a central force behind the agency’s evolving approach to cryptocurrencies, has announced her retirement.
LaMothe confirmed the decision in a statement released in late December, describing her time at the SEC as “extremely demanding, but deeply rewarding,” and noting how much she learned from colleagues dedicated to protecting investors and maintaining market integrity.

Twenty-Four Years at the SEC and a Lasting Impact on Crypto Rules
LaMothe’s departure closes a 24-year chapter at the SEC. Over that period, she held multiple senior roles and most recently served as Deputy Director overseeing disclosure matters. She also acted as head of the division until James Moloney was appointed director on September 30, 2025.
In the past year in particular, LaMothe left a clear mark on crypto regulation. She was responsible for several key staff statements that shaped the regulatory landscape for digital assets. These included guidance clarifying that memecoins are not automatically classified as securities, as well as an official articulation of the Commission’s views on crypto staking.

A Respected Authority Beyond Digital Assets
Her influence extended well beyond crypto. Sources within the SEC say LaMothe played an important role in steering policy guidance for companies preparing registration statements, helping to sharpen regulatory interpretations across traditional capital markets as well as emerging digital sectors.
She joined the Division of Corporation Finance in 2002 after working in the private sector. A licensed certified public accountant, LaMothe holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Hampton University. Within the SEC, her retirement is widely seen as a significant loss—particularly at a time when the agency is striving for a more balanced and predictable regulatory stance toward the crypto industry.

A Shift in Tone at the SEC: ETFs, Lawsuit Rollbacks, and “Project Crypto”
News of LaMothe’s retirement comes at a pivotal moment. The SEC is entering its second year of a more openly supportive and less confrontational posture toward the crypto ecosystem. Since the start of Donald Trump’s presidency and under new leadership, the Commission has approved listing standards for several cryptocurrency exchange-traded funds (ETFs).
These approvals enabled the launch of ETFs tracking assets such as DOGE, SOL, and XRP—widely regarded as a major milestone for the digital asset industry. At the same time, the SEC has withdrawn multiple lawsuits against prominent crypto firms and launched an initiative known as “Project Crypto,” aimed at reviewing and updating the Commission’s rules governing digital assets.

A Broader Wave of Retirements and Expected Layoffs
LaMothe is not the only senior official leaving the agency this year. In December, Nekia Hackworth Jones also concluded her tenure after holding key leadership roles in the SEC’s Enforcement Division, including Regional Director of the Atlanta office. In her farewell remarks, she praised colleagues for their unwavering commitment to investor protection and sound judgment.
Compounding these leadership changes is a broader restructuring of the federal workforce. Earlier this year, the SEC signaled significant staff reductions. According to sources familiar with the matter, between 500 and 700 positions could be eliminated, with a large share of the cuts expected to affect enforcement, investigative, and legal teams.

Cicely LaMothe’s retirement thus symbolically closes one chapter in the evolution of U.S. crypto regulation—while raising new questions about how the SEC will navigate the next phase as digital assets continue to move closer to the financial mainstream.

#SEC , #cryptocurrency , #CryptoRegulation , #blockchain , #DigitalAssets

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Maxine Waters, the top Democrat who may lead the House Financial Services Committee again if Democrats prevail, has a crypto bone to pick with SEC's Atkins.
What to know:
Representative Maxine Waters, the ranking Democrat on the House Financial Services Committee, called for a hearing with Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Paul Atkins to discuss his crypto moves and other topics.Her party has a strong chance to take back the House of Representatives majority in 2026, potentially moving her back into the spot as committee chair.
#SEC #crypto

☕ US Crypto News — Morning Briefing
Grab a coffee. This weekend wasn’t just volatile — it was revealing.

While global markets were distracted by chaos in silver, Bitcoin quietly told a different story.

🪙 Silver Implodes, Liquidity Vanishes

Silver futures went parabolic, touching record highs near $84, then collapsed over 10% in just one hour 😳
That kind of move isn’t normal — even for commodities.

📉 Reports (unconfirmed) spread on social media claiming a systemically important bank failed to meet a massive silver margin call, triggering forced liquidations and emergency liquidity demands exceeding $2B.

⚠️ No regulator or major outlet has confirmed a bank failure — but markets reacted anyway.

“Over $4B in silver longs got wiped out in just over an hour. Liquidity simply disappeared,”
— Analyst Shanaka Anslem

🏦 CME Steps In

As volatility exploded, the CME Risk Management Team quickly raised margin requirements across precious metals, signaling one thing clearly:

👉 Too much leverage had built up.
👉 Risk had to be cut — fast.

This pattern? We’ve seen it before… in both commodities and crypto.

₿ Bitcoin Catches the Flow

While silver traders were getting liquidated, Bitcoin moved the opposite way.

📈 As silver dumped ~11%, BTC caught a bid, briefly testing the $90,000 psychological level.

Crypto Rover summed it up perfectly:

“This looks like rotation, not new money.”

🔁 Leverage breaks → capital rotates → Bitcoin absorbs pressure

Some analysts urge caution on the collapse rumors — but one verified detail matters:

📄 JPMorgan disclosed ~$4.9B in unrealized silver losses
📄 Flipped from a huge short to holding ~750M ounces of physical silver

💬 “The collapse story may be fiction — but the position flip is real,”
— Shanaka Anslem

For crypto traders, that’s the real takeaway.

🔑 The Bigger Picture

This wasn’t just volatility.
This was liquidity stress.

When paper markets seize up, Bitcoin increasingly behaves like a pressure valve, not a risk asset.

📊 What to Watch Next

• XRP looks weak — but smart money is accumulating 👀
• 🇨🇳 China’s Digital Yuan may become interest-bearing by 2026
• ETH staking queue flips bullish after 3 months
• Gold signals hint BTC may be near a bottom
• 🇺🇸 Lummis’ crypto bill could reshape regulation
• Hyperliquid teases HYPE unlocks (Jan 6)

When leverage breaks somewhere, liquidity doesn’t disappear — it moves.
This weekend, a chunk of it chose Bitcoin 🚀

#BTC #ETH #XRP #SEC