Yesterday, the SEC announced that it had published its draft strategic plan for fiscal years 2026 through 2030. The SEC is soliciting public comment on this strategic plan. The announcement highlights the following three goals:

1. Renew our regulatory policy focus to support innovation, capital formation, market efficiency, and investor protection — This goal promotes clear, fit-for-purpose rules that foster responsible innovation and deter misconduct. Modernizing and simplifying disclosure practices, expanding access to private markets, and enabling new capital-raising pathways are essential to ensuring that entrepreneurs and small businesses can thrive. One objective is to provide a firm regulatory foundation for digital assets and distributed ledger technologies through a rational, coherent, and principled approach.

2. Shift our regulatory practices to increase stakeholder engagement, facilitate compliance efforts of market participants, and effectively return our enforcement approach to Congress’ original intent — This goal seeks to increase staff engagement with business and industry groups while restoring an enforcement approach that polices violations of established law such as fraud and manipulation rather than expanding regulatory reach through ad hoc enforcement actions. Other objectives include periodic, retrospective reviews of existing rules as well as an assessment of the agency’s administrative law framework.

3. Optimize our operational efficiency by enhancing our organizational structure, modernizing our technology, reforming employee performance management, and implementing robust internal performance reporting that incorporates accountability for resources and program success — This goal prioritizes technology modernization as a critical enabler of regulatory effectiveness. A comprehensive review of legacy systems – such as EDGAR – and the adoption of secure, scalable infrastructure will enhance data integrity, reduce operational risk, and support advanced analytics. The responsible use of artificial intelligence and blockchain technologies can further improve oversight, reduce costs, and unlock new efficiencies.

We covered the SEC’s last strategic planning process back in 2022, when the strategic goals were: (1) protecting the investing public against fraud, manipulation, and misconduct; (2) developing and implementing a robust regulatory framework that keeps pace with evolving markets, business models, and technologies; and (3) supporting a skilled workforce that is diverse, equitable, and inclusive and is fully equipped to advance agency objectives.

– Dave Lynn