PANews reported on April 28th, according to Forbes, that recent developments in the Trump family's cryptocurrency business have intensified scrutiny over the independence of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). This includes Eric Trump, son of Donald Trump, planning to attend the Token2049 conference with Justin Sun and Zack Witkoff, co-founder of World Liberty Financial, as well as Trump's TRUMP dinner plans. If the SEC is perceived as giving preferential treatment to digital asset projects with political connections, this political scrutiny may foreshadow challenges for newly appointed SEC chairman Paul Atkins.

Although there is indeed momentum within the SEC to drive cryptocurrency reform, any perception of political bias within the SEC may make it difficult for the agency to act credibly in the coming months. If Atkins can successfully balance the drive to modernize regulation with a clear commitment to fair enforcement, then the SEC could regain its global leadership position in digital asset regulation. However, if the agency becomes embroiled in partisan disputes, even well-intentioned reforms may lose momentum. The cryptocurrency industry currently remains cautiously optimistic but vigilant. Conflict of interest issues may persist and overshadow the actual achievements Atkins is seeking in the cryptocurrency field at the SEC.