On September 4, 2025, SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins announced the release of the SEC’s Spring 2025 Regulatory Agenda, which outlines the SEC’s planned regulatory actions through Spring 2026. Among other things, the agenda includes several “deregulatory rule proposals” designed to reduce compliance burdens and increase access to capital, and potential rulemakings relating to crypto assets, a “key priority” of Atkins’ chairmanship. While the agenda provides insights into Chairman Atkins’ priorities and the anticipated timing of rulemaking efforts, actual rule proposal timing may vary significantly, and could come before or after the listed dates. In addition to the rulemakings highlighted below, in June 2025, the SEC hosted a Roundtable on Executive Compensation Disclosure Requirements and solicited public comment on potential changes to those rules, signaling another area under active consideration by the Commission.
The following table reflects potential rulemakings that may be of particular interest to public companies.
| Title of Rulemaking | Description | Anticipated Action and Date |
| Enhancement of Emerging Growth Company Accommodations and Simplification of Filer Status for Reporting Companies | Rule amendments to expand accommodations that are available for EGCs and to rationalize filer statuses | Rule Proposal – April 2026 |
| Rationalization of Disclosure Practices | Rule amendments to rationalize disclosure practices to facilitate material disclosure by companies and shareholders’ access to that information | Rule Proposal – April 2026 |
| Shareholder Proposal Modernization | Rule amendments to modernize the requirements of Exchange Act Rule 14a-8 to reduce compliance burdens for registrants and account for developments since the rule was last amended | Rule Proposal – April 2026 |
| Shelf Registration Modernization | Rule amendments to modernize the shelf registration process to reduce compliance burdens and facilitate capital formation | Rule Proposal – April 2026 |
| Foreign Private Issuer Eligibility | Seek public comment on the definition of FPI to account for developments within the FPI population since the Commission’s last broad review of reporting FPIs and the eligibility criteria | Concept Release requesting public comment published in Federal Register on June 9, 2025, with comment period running through September 8, 2025 |
| Rule 144 Safe Harbor | Amendments to Rule 144 to increase instances in which the safe harbor for public resale of restricted or control securities would be available | April 2026 (previous rulemaking was proposed in January 2021) |
Other notable items in the agenda include rulemakings on “Updating the Exempt Offering Pathways,” with a target date for a proposed rulemaking of April 2026, and crypto-related rulemakings, such as “Crypto Assets” and “Crypto Market Structure Amendments,” both with a target date for proposed rulemakings of April 2026.