Crypto Regulator Cicely Steps Down from SEC Leadership Role as Digital Asset Policies Shift

The regulatory landscape for cryptocurrency took another significant turn as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission disclosed the departure of a key leadership figure. Cicely LaMothe, who served in a senior position within the agency’s Corporation Finance division, will be leaving her role, marking another milestone in the SEC’s evolving approach to digital assets.

LaMothe’s tenure proved consequential for the industry. Throughout her time at the agency, she helped shape critical guidance on digital asset classification, most notably clarifying that meme coins fall outside the securities framework. Additionally, she contributed to developing the SEC’s official position on staking mechanisms, decisions that reverberated across crypto markets and projects seeking regulatory clarity.

The timing of Cicely’s departure reflects a broader shift within the SEC itself. Over the past year, the agency has demonstrated a notably more accommodating stance toward the crypto sector. This recalibration has manifested in several concrete ways: the agency greenlit specific cryptocurrency ETF listing standards, established a dedicated initiative dubbed the ‘Crypto Project’ to modernize the rulebook for digital assets, and notably withdrew enforcement actions against several prominent crypto companies that had faced regulatory scrutiny.

The SEC also confirmed that Nekia Hackworth Jones, who held a leadership position in the Southeast District’s enforcement operations, concluded her tenure at the close of December, further underscoring the ongoing personnel transitions within the agency.

These shifts signal that the regulatory environment, long a source of uncertainty for market participants, continues its trajectory toward greater engagement and clearer frameworks for the expanding digital asset ecosystem.