The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently announced the retirement of a senior regulatory official, sparking considerable discussion in the crypto community. Cicely LaMothe worked at the SEC for 24 years, primarily responsible for developing regulatory policies related to digital assets and cryptocurrencies.

During her tenure, she made several key decisions. For example, regarding the classification of meme tokens like DOGE—her team clarified that under certain conditions, these assets do not fall under the category of securities, providing policy space for their trading. Additionally, her team led the development of regulatory rules for staking activities in the DeFi sector, clarifying which models are compliant and which pose risks.

LayMothe joined the SEC in 2002 and has risen from entry-level positions to Deputy Director of Corporate Finance, witnessing and promoting the evolution of the U.S. digital asset regulatory framework. Interestingly, after her retirement, there appears to be a subtle shift in SEC's regulatory stance. The previously relatively conservative approval attitude has noticeably loosened—spot ETFs for cryptocurrencies like DOGE, SOL, and XRP have been approved successively, and lawsuits against certain crypto companies have been withdrawn. The SEC has even launched a dedicated research project on digital assets.

Industry observers believe this shift reflects an upgrade in U.S. regulatory thinking. Moving from the previous "risk prevention first" approach to a "regulation + openness" parallel strategy indicates that the process of integrating digital assets into the mainstream financial system is accelerating. For investors, clearer regulatory frameworks and a wider range of compliant products (such as spot ETFs) indeed reduce participation uncertainties. It remains to be seen what new policies the SEC will introduce next, and ongoing attention is warranted.