Paul S. Atkins

Early life and education

Originally from Lillington, North Carolina, Atkins grew up in Tampa, Florida. and Kappa Alpha Order.

Career

Atkins began his career as a lawyer in New York City with Davis Polk & Wardwell, focusing on a wide range of corporate transactions for U.S. and foreign clients, including public and private securities offerings and mergers and acquisitions. He worked in the Paris office for two and a half years, and in 1988 was admitted to provide legal advice in France.

Atkins was a commissioner of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) from July 9, 2002 until his term's completion in August 2008. He served with chairmen Harvey Pitt, William H. Donaldson, and Christopher Cox.

In 2009, Atkins founded Patomak Global Partners, a financial services firm specializing in regulatory compliance and whose clients would come to include Fidelity Investments, Goldman Sachs, and the US Chamber of Commerce.

In December 2016, Atkins joined a business forum assembled by President-elect Trump to provide strategic and policy advice on economic issues.

Atkins was co-chair of the Token Alliance, a cryptocurrency advocacy group for the Chamber of Digital Commerce. He also served on the advisory board of Securitize, Inc., a cryptocurrency firm.

Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission

In December 2024, Atkins was nominated by President-elect Trump to be chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. He was sworn in on April 21, 2025.

In July 2025, Atkins sold his stake in Patomak Global Partners to an undisclosed buyer for between $25 million and $50 million.

In September 2025, Atkins affirmed plans to reduce reporting requirements for public companies in the United States, changing reporting timelines from quarterly to every six months. He expanded upon those plans in December at an SEC sponsored event, "Revitalizing American Markets" in honor of the Nation's 250th anniversary.

At the time of his appointment to the SEC, Atkins owned $6 million worth of holdings in crypto-related businesses. During his confirmation, he pledged from these crypto-related businesses. He has since then filed paperwork listing millions dollars worth of investments he sold, but those lists did not include the crypto-related businesses. During his time at the SEC, the SEC has dropped or settled numerous lawsuits with cryptocurrency companies and adopted a lax regulatory approach to cryptocurrency.

Personal life

Atkins has three sons with his wife Sarah Humphreys Atkins, who is a major Republican donor. As of 2025, their combined net worth is estimated to be $327 million.

References

References

1. (April 21, 2025). "Paul S. Atkins Sworn In as SEC Chairman".
2. (2024). "Trump taps Paul Atkins to lead SEC, signaling shift on crypto regulation". The Washington Post.
3. Prentice, Chris. (December 5, 2024). "Trump's SEC pick Atkins marks victory for establishment expertise".
4. (December 4, 2024). "Trump to nominate Paul Atkins, a cryptocurrency advocate, for SEC chair".
5. link. (2011-02-11 , Patomak website bio. Retrieved 2011-04-22.)
6. [https://www.sec.gov/about/commissioner/atkins.htm SEC Biography: Commissioner Paul S. Atkins], Security Exchange Commission. Retrieved February, 2011.
7. Society, SEC Historical. "Securities and Exchange Commission Historical Society".
8. Schwenk, Katya. (2025-07-30). "Wall Street’s Top Cop Scores Tax Break For Mysterious “Pre-Bribe”".
9. (2 Dec 2016). "Trump is forming an economic advisory team with the CEOs of Disney, General Motors, JPMorgan, and more". Business Insider.
10. Gillison, Douglas. (2025-09-29). "US SEC chair fast-tracks Trump push to end quarterly earnings reports". Reuters.
11. "SEC.gov {{!}} Revitalizing America’s Markets at 250".
12. Behar, Andrew. "Turning public companies into private companies: the SEC’s retreat from transparency and accountability".
13. Shaw, Corey G. Johnson and Al. (2025-12-22). "Top DOJ Official Todd Blanche Shut Down Crypto Enforcement While Holding Crypto Assets".
14. (3 Mar 2025). "SARAH HUMPHREYS ATKINS has given $9,903,550". Follow the Money Insider.