Crypto Mom Hester Peirce to leave SEC as crypto rule work continues

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce, widely known in the digital asset industry as “Crypto Mom,” said she will leave the agency in November and join Regent University School of Law as an associate professor.

Peirce confirmed the plan during an appearance on The Rollup podcast, saying she will be “moving to the beach” after nearly three decades in Washington, D.C. As previously reported by crypto.news, Regent announced in May that she will teach securities regulation, financial markets, digital assets and public policy.

Peirce confirms move to Regent Law

Peirce has served as an SEC commissioner since January 2018. The Senate confirmed her for a second term in 2020, and that term expired on June 5, 2025.

SEC rules allow commissioners to remain for up to 18 months after a term expires if no successor has been confirmed, according to the SEC commissioners page. Peirce could have stayed until December 2026, but her November move means she will leave slightly earlier.

On the podcast, Peirce said she looks forward to working with students. “I’m going to be teaching law school. So, I’m excited about working with the next generation,” she said.

Crypto task force faces transition

Peirce has led the SEC’s Crypto Task Force since January 2025. The task force seeks to draw clearer lines around digital assets, token status, disclosure rules, registration paths and enforcement priorities. It also gives market participants a channel to send written input and request meetings during the current rule review.

Her departure will leave the commission with Chairman Paul Atkins and Commissioner Mark Uyeda as the two active sitting members, unless new nominees are confirmed before then. The SEC is designed to have five commissioners, with no more than three from the same political party.

Peirce’s final priorities include helping shape a crypto framework, changing rules so more companies can go public earlier and removing the trade-through rule. These items remain part of a wider market-structure debate at the agency.

Innovation exemption remains pending

The SEC’s possible “innovation exemption” for digital assets has drawn strong attention from crypto firms and tokenization platforms. Peirce used the podcast appearance to lower expectations around what the proposal may include.

“First, the innovation exemption has not yet been released. So that’s one myth that should be dispelled,” Peirce said. She also said synthetic securities were not part of what officials had in mind.

Her comments followed reports that the SEC could give firms limited room to test blockchain-based products while broader rules remain under review. Peirce said the exemption should not be treated as a blanket approval for every tokenized product.

Exit comes during crypto policy reset

Peirce gained the “Crypto Mom” nickname after years of criticizing enforcement-led crypto oversight and calling for clearer rules. Her public dissents made her one of the industry’s most followed SEC officials.

The agency has shifted under Atkins toward new crypto policy work, including tokenization, custody and market access. The question now is whether that work continues at the same pace after Peirce leaves.

For crypto firms, the timing matters because several rulemaking paths remain open. Peirce’s exit does not stop the SEC’s crypto agenda, but it removes one of its most visible advocates inside the commission.