U.S. SEC Chair Paul Atkins has announced a strategic shift towards blockchain-based market settlement as a priority for modernizing financial infrastructure. On December 11, Atkins highlighted a no-action letter issued to the Depository Trust Company (DTC) for its securities tokenization pilot, emphasizing blockchain's potential to enhance transparency and efficiency. Atkins also revealed that the SEC is considering an innovation exemption to support on-chain models, signaling a significant regulatory move that could impact market capitalization dynamics as traditional systems adapt to new technologies.