Hester Peirce to Leave SEC on Oct. 2 After Eight Years

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce, widely known as “Crypto Mom” for her work on digital-asset regulation, will leave the agency on Oct. 2. Peirce submitted her resignation on Sept. 25 after serving on the Commission since 2018. Her departure comes as the SEC continues work on crypto rules covering tokenized securities, trading, custody and other digital-asset activities.

Peirce Formally Sets Oct. 2 Departure

Peirce posted her resignation letter on X with the message “T minus 7.” Her second SEC term expired in June 2025, but federal law allowed her to remain until a replacement was confirmed, or another statutory limit was reached. In the letter, Peirce described her time at the agency as a career highlight.

“Serving as Commissioner has been the honor of my professional lifetime.”

Peirce Led SEC Crypto Task Force

Peirce was named to lead the SEC’s Crypto Task Force when it was launched in January 2025, with her formal designation issued in February. The group was created to clarify how securities laws apply to crypto assets, develop workable registration and disclosure frameworks and coordinate with other regulators.

Peirce also supported the SEC’s September 2026 Innovation Exemption, which conditionally allows certain onchain trading of tokenized U.S. stocks while the Commission develops longer-term rules.

SEC Will Have Two Sitting Commissioners

Peirce’s departure will leave Chair Paul Atkins and Commissioner Mark Uyeda as the SEC’s two sitting commissioners. Peirce said in her final weeks that the agency still had work to do on adapting securities rules to crypto and other new technologies.

Peirce will join Regent University School of Law as an associate professor in November 2026. The university announced the appointment in May. Her teaching will follow a career spanning the SEC, the U.S. Senate Banking Committee and financial-market research. Regent said her work has focused on securities regulation, financial markets and digital assets.