The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has reported its lowest number of enforcement actions in 35 years, with cases falling nearly 24% during fiscal 2026 under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Summary
- SEC enforcement actions fell nearly 24% to 348 in fiscal 2026, the lowest total since 1991.
- The agency ordered approximately $1.1 billion in financial remedies, including $343 million in civil penalties.
- SEC Chairman Paul Atkins defended the agency’s decision to prioritize fraud cases over enforcement totals.
- Senator Elizabeth Warren questioned whether reduced enforcement activity would weaken protections for ordinary US investors.
- Despite the decline, the SEC continued pursuing cryptocurrency fraud and introduced new investigative teams.
Figures released by the SEC on November 10 show that the regulator brought 348 enforcement actions in the financial year ending September 30, compared with 456 in fiscal 2025. The agency secured approximately $1.1 billion in financial remedies, while its leadership defended a strategy focused on fraud and investor protection.
Meanwhile, the latest totals are the lowest since 1991 for enforcement actions and 2008 for monetary remedies, based on a review of the agency’s historical statistics.
SEC enforcement actions fall nearly 24% in fiscal 2026
The annual figures show a decline of 108 cases from the previous financial year, equivalent to approximately 24%.
Of the 348 actions filed, 235 involved standalone enforcement cases, while 113 were follow-on administrative proceedings seeking to bar or suspend individuals from certain securities market activities.
Financial remedies totaled $1.095 billion, comprising $343 million in civil penalties and $752 million in disgorgement and prejudgment interest. The latter figure includes $235 million that a court deemed satisfied through a separate proceeding.
The previous year’s $17.9 billion total was heavily influenced by a judgment involving a Ponzi scheme case originally filed in 2009. Excluding that exceptional judgment and certain overlapping amounts, the SEC previously reported approximately $2.7 billion in adjusted monetary remedies for fiscal 2025.
Despite the decline in enforcement activity, the agency said it returned approximately $731 million to more than 250,000 harmed investors during fiscal 2026.
SEC Chairman Paul Atkins defended the regulator’s approach, arguing that case totals and financial penalties should not be the primary measures of enforcement effectiveness.
“Enforcement actions and financial remedies are important measures of activity, but they are not the only or most telling measures,” Atkins said.
Democrats question SEC’s approach to Wall Street enforcement
The lower figures have renewed criticism from Democratic lawmakers who believe the regulator is reducing scrutiny of financial misconduct.
Senator Elizabeth Warren questioned whether the agency was adequately protecting investors as its enforcement activity declined.
“The new Democratic majority in Congress will closely scrutinize whether the Atkins SEC is protecting the American people,” Warren said.
Her criticism follows an earlier dispute over enforcement figures in April, when she questioned Atkins about the regulator’s declining case numbers and his previous testimony to Congress.
Atkins has maintained that enforcement resources should concentrate on fraud, market manipulation and other violations involving direct investor harm.
The regulator’s enforcement division experienced staff departures and leadership changes during Trump’s second term, including the departure of its previous enforcement director.
However, current Enforcement Director David Woodcock recently said he was comfortable with staffing levels and believed the agency could handle its responsibilities with fewer resources.
Speaking about the latest results, Woodcock said the agency had reviewed its investigative workload and introduced changes intended to improve its ability to pursue serious misconduct.
SEC continues crypto fraud cases despite fewer enforcement actions
The SEC’s revised approach has been particularly visible in cryptocurrency regulation, where several enforcement cases against major exchanges and digital asset businesses have been dismissed or resolved since 2025.
In its fiscal 2025 assessment, the regulator argued that several previous crypto registration cases had misinterpreted federal securities laws without delivering measurable investor protection.
As previously reported, the agency identified seven cryptocurrency registration cases and six dealer-definition cases that it believed had been pursued without direct investor harm.
However, the SEC has continued bringing cases involving alleged cryptocurrency fraud.
Its fiscal 2026 report identified charges against three purported crypto trading platforms and four investment clubs accused of defrauding retail investors of at least $14 million.
The alleged scheme involved social media investment recommendations supposedly generated through artificial intelligence, with the proceeds reportedly transferred overseas.
Separately, the agency charged Mining Automatic and its founder in July over allegations that they raised approximately $22 million through a fraudulent cryptocurrency mining operation.
The annual report identified another case involving the founder of a Bitcoin mining business accused of raising more than $95.6 million from approximately 6,400 investors.
SEC introduces new fraud teams and investigation tools
Alongside the enforcement figures, the commission disclosed changes to its investigative operations, including the establishment of a Retail Fraud Working Group.
The team focuses on Ponzi schemes, investment scams, impersonation fraud and market manipulation affecting individual investors. The SEC said the initiative had already generated more than a dozen investigations.
The regulator created a Financial Reporting and Accounting Unit to investigate misleading financial disclosures and accounting misconduct.
It introduced an Office of Super Intelligence and Analytics, which uses advanced data analysis to examine suspicious trading, financial transactions and blockchain activity.
The SEC further revised its Enforcement Manual for the first time since 2017, updating procedures for settlement discussions, cooperation and the process through which potential defendants respond to proposed charges.
During fiscal 2026, approximately two-thirds of standalone enforcement actions included charges against at least one individual. The agency received around 26,000 whistleblower tips and awarded more than $158 million to 65 whistleblowers.
