SEC Chair Nominee Paul Atkins: All U.S. Markets Will Move On-Chain Within Two Years

Key Highlights

• Tokenized real-world assets already exceed $24 billion in 2025.
• Confirmation hearing set for December 10; Polymarket odds at 87%.
• Paul Atkins on Fox Business (Dec 5, 2025): “All U.S. markets will be on-chain within two years.”

Paul Atkins, President Trump’s nominee to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission, delivered a clear message on Fox Business’ “Mornings with Maria” on December 5, 2025: the migration of U.S. capital markets to blockchain is no longer a question of “if” but “when.”

“We’re not debating whether this happens — we’re debating the timeline. And I believe all U.S. markets will be on-chain within two years,” Atkins stated.

Atkins’ Track Record on Digital Assets

A former SEC commissioner (2002–2008), Atkins has long advocated for regulatory clarity in crypto. Since leaving the agency, he has:

• Co-chaired the Token Alliance
• Served on the advisory board of Ripple Labs during its SEC litigation
• Consulted for multiple blockchain compliance firms

His nomination reflects the administration’s pro-innovation stance on digital assets.

Tokenization Momentum Heading Into 2026

Real-world asset tokenization has grown from $7 billion at the start of 2024 to more than $24 billion by December 2025, according to BlackRock and RWA.xyz data. Leading platforms include:

• BlackRock BUIDL ($3.2B)
• Franklin Templeton BENJI ($1.1B)
• JPMorgan’s JPMD tokenized money-market funds
• Ondo Finance, Centrifuge, and Maple in private credit

Projected On-Chain Migration Timeline

Period	Milestone Expected	Current Progress / Precedent
H1 2026	Expanded spot and staking ETFs	Franklin Templeton SOEZ launched Dec 2025
H2 2026	Initial public equities and corporate bonds tokenized	UBS and BlackRock pilots on Ethereum/Polygon
H1 2027	T+0 settlement for major asset classes	DTCC and Chainlink trials underway
End 2027	Full migration of stocks, bonds, funds, and real estate	Atkins’ stated target

Market Implications

The statement has already influenced pricing:

• XRP +7% on institutional settlement narrative
• RWA-focused tokens (ONDO, CFG) +12–18%
• Solana +4% on Layer-2 scaling momentum

Remaining Hurdles

Atkins still requires Senate confirmation at his December 10 hearing. While Polymarket gives him an 87% chance, technical scaling and legacy-system integration remain significant challenges.

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New SEC Chair Paul Atkins: “All U.S. markets will be on chain within two years.”
Tokenization just went from “if” to “when.”

The next wave is closer than you think 👀 pic.twitter.com/8wPQHHb2Nj

— 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗸XRP (@BankXRP) December 5, 2025

Conclusion

Paul Atkins’ declaration marks a pivotal shift in regulatory tone. If confirmed, the next 24 months will likely see the most rapid infrastructure transformation in U.S. capital markets history — from pilot programs to full on-chain settlement of stocks, bonds, funds, and real estate by the end of 2027.

For investors and builders, the message is unambiguous: the tokenization supercycle is no longer speculative. It is now a question of execution speed across Ethereum, Solana, XRP Ledger, and institutional-grade Layer-2s. The confirmation hearing on December 10 will determine whether 2026 becomes the year Wall Street finally goes fully on-chain.

IMF, World Bank, and BIS are engaging in collaborative efforts to explore applications of tokenization

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