U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chairman Paul Atkins has retracted his previous timeline for releasing the "crypto innovation exemption" this month. Atkins, speaking at a recent event co-hosted with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), emphasized the need for careful consideration and did not commit to a new release date, citing ongoing studies and the potential impact of a crypto market structure bill currently under congressional review. The proposed exemption rules are designed to offer regulatory assurances to companies in sectors like tokenized securities and decentralized finance (DeFi), shielding them from SEC enforcement actions. Atkins had initially expressed hope for a January release but now indicates that the timing will depend on further developments and guidance from Congress.