In a speech to the SEC’s International Institute on Capital Formation, an SEC Commissioner set out a market-led view of capital formation, arguing that securities regulation should create conditions for private markets to match investors with entrepreneurs rather than having governments direct capital allocation. The Commissioner argued that government-led funding tends to be slow, politicised and prone to misallocation, while private capital markets bring together diverse, competing investors and issuers and continuously test capital allocation decisions. The remarks framed “good regulation” as rules that give investors confidence to fund “talented strangers” and that allow entrepreneurs to access capital regardless of personal connections, with administration and enforcement that is firm but not arbitrary or overbearing. The speech also cited the Securities Act of 1933-era principle that investor and issuer interests are mutually dependent, and used examples of innovators and funding routes, including accelerators, angel investors, venture capital and crowdfunding, to illustrate the importance of maintaining multiple pathways to finance.
U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission 2026-04-24
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Commissioner calls for regulatory restraint to support private capital formation
A U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Commissioner, speaking at the SEC’s International Institute on Capital Formation, advocated a market-led approach in which regulation enables private markets to match investors with entrepreneurs rather than governments directing capital. The Commissioner characterised “good regulation” as fostering investor confidence to fund “talented strangers,” ensuring non-arbitrary administration and enforcement, and preserving multiple financing pathways such as accelerators, angel investors, venture capital and crowdfunding.