Catenaa, Tuesday, December 30, 2025- Cicely LaMothe, deputy director of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Corporation Finance, will retire after helping shape the agency’s recent guidance on cryptocurrency, the SEC said Monday.
LaMothe played a central role in several staff statements that clarified how federal securities laws apply to digital assets.
Those efforts included guidance explaining that certain memecoins do not meet the definition of securities and outlining the agency’s position on crypto staking activities.
Her departure comes as the SEC continues a policy shift that has taken a more accommodative stance toward parts of the crypto industry. Over the past year, the agency approved listing standards for select crypto exchange-traded funds, leading to launches tied to assets such as DOGE, SOL, and XRP.
Regulators have also dropped multiple enforcement actions against major crypto firms and moved forward with Project Crypto, an initiative to update digital asset rules.
Beyond crypto policy, LaMothe oversaw recommendations affecting companies that submit draft registration statements and other disclosure-related filings.
The SEC said her work influenced how public companies and market participants interpret evolving regulatory expectations.
LaMothe joined the Division of Corporation Finance in 2002 and held a range of senior roles during more than two decades at the agency.
Before entering public service, she worked in the private sector. She is a licensed certified public accountant and earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Hampton University.
The announcement followed confirmation that Nekia Hackworth Jones, deputy director of the Division of Enforcement in the Southeast, also concluded her tenure at the end of December.
The SEC said the leadership changes mark a transition period as the agency advances its updated regulatory agenda.
