SEC Drops 60% of Crypto Cases Under Trump Administration

Highlights:

• • SEC has eased cryptocurrency enforcement while stock and bond markets remain largely unchanged.
  • Nearly 60% of crypto-related cases were dismissed or placed on hold since January.
  • Trump-linked crypto projects, including memecoin and American Bitcoin, gained attention this year.

The Securities and Exchange Commission in the US has been seeing changes in its enforcement actions with President Donald Trump back in power. In this case, there has been a slow pace in filing legal actions against digital assets. However, there have been no changes in the stock and bond market cases.

According to a New York Times report published Sunday, nearly 60% of cryptocurrency-related cases have been dismissed or placed on hold. Since January, digital asset firms have faced far more pauses and withdrawals than companies outside the crypto sector. As a result, several court actions involving tokens, trading platforms, and related services have lost momentum. Many filings show little progress or complete stops, while enforcement in traditional markets has continued with minimal disruption.

Curious about crypto wallets and how to store and access crypto assets? Check out our Crypto Asset Custody Basics Investor Bulletin.https://t.co/x4HMYMHLAe pic.twitter.com/bSbP25nzOc

— U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (@SECGov) December 13, 2025

Crypto Cases Face Delays While SEC Shifts Enforcement Focus

Changes that are highly significant relate to litigation filed against Ripple Labs and Binance. Such cases helped to influence the early stages of the regulation and remained pending for several years. The current records of cases filed in courts indicate that the SEC abandoned the cases and allowed them to remain inactive following longstanding disagreements. The New York Times indicated that the SEC is no longer actively pursuing a single case against a firm with known Trump ties.

The SEC rejected claims of political favoritism. Officials said they base decisions on legal judgment and policy review. The report found no evidence that President Trump pressured the agency to drop any case. Some crypto experts say the slowdown shows a change in the SEC’s approach. They argue past actions relied too much on lawsuits and lacked consistency. This created uncertainty for firms trying to follow federal rules.

Alex Thorn, head of research at Galaxy Digital, rejected claims linking the enforcement shift to personal interests. He said calling it political ignores “four years of direct attacks by the actual partisans.” The debate has grown as connections between Trump-linked entities and digital assets became more visible. In 2025, projects connected to the president or his family expanded in the sector.

Trump-Linked Projects and SEC Changes Draw Attention

Public records show activity from World Liberty Financial and Trump-branded crypto efforts. This includes the Official Trump memecoin and American Bitcoin, a mining project backed by the president’s sons. Both gained attention during the year.

Changes within the SEC suggest more adjustments may come. Paul Atkins, a Republican appointee known for supporting market-led oversight, is expected to remain chair for now. The commission is also preparing for the departure of Caroline Crenshaw, its last Democratic member. Her term ended last year, followed by eighteen additional months of service. She is expected to leave in January.

Caroline Crenshaw is anti-crypto. She even embarrassingly opposed Bitcoin ETFs. The SEC has to change. https://t.co/h2ESDLWKO4

— Emilie Choi 🛡️ (@emiliemc) December 7, 2024

President Trump has not announced nominees to fill Crenshaw’s seat or another vacant Democratic position. Crenshaw has been a strong critic of the softer crypto stance. In one of her final appearances last week, she warned that reduced oversight could increase market risks and weaken investor protection.