According to SEC Chairman Paul Atkins, the agency is pursuing broad IPO and public-company reforms that could expand listing flexibility, reduce reporting burdens, and reopen debate over direct listings and other paths to public markets.
SEC Chairman Paul Atkins outlined a broader agenda to increase the number of U.S. public companies, saying the agency has already adopted or proposed several measures aimed at making it easier for companies to go public and stay public. He cited a September 2025 SEC policy statement clarifying that mandatory arbitration provisions are not inconsistent with federal securities laws, a May 2026 proposal that would let companies file one semiannual report instead of three quarterly reports, and two additional May 2026 proposals on registered offering reform and filer status reform. According to Atkins, the registered offering proposal would expand full shelf-registration eligibility to nearly all public companies, increasing the number of eligible companies by 60%, while extending certain offering and communications flexibilities to all exchange-listed companies, a 200% increase in companies receiving those flexibilities. He also said filer status reform would broaden relief from some disclosure and auditor attestation requirements to about 81% of public companies. Atkins further called for comments by July 27, 2026 on modernizing IPO communication rules, reducing regulatory frictions around direct listings, and exploring alternative routes to becoming public, areas that could also affect crypto-focused companies seeking stock market listings.