The financial watchdog's current chair, Mary Jo White, will resign before President-Elect Trump takes over the White House in January.

Mary Jo White, chair of the US' most powerful financial regulator, the Securities and Exchange Commission, will step down at the end of President Obama's term after spending nearly four years as the agency's head.

The financial watchdog has hailed White for her leadership, under which protections for investors and markets were strengthened through “transformative” rule-makings that addressed major issues highlighted by the financial crisis. 

White assumed her position in April 2013 and will be one of the longest serving chairs of the SEC.

In addition to completing the majority of the regulator's mandates under the Dodd-Frank Act - a plethora of changes to financial regulation as a response to the US recession - White built robust and effective frameworks for the SEC's regulatory regimes going forward, it said.

As a result, the SEC has instituted a new approach to enforcement that has resulted in greater accountability and record actions through the use of enhanced data analytics and technology.

During her tenure, the Commission brought more than 2,850 enforcement actions and obtained judgements and orders totalling more than $13.4 billion in monetary sanctions.

The SEC's whistle blower program has awarded more than $100 million since its inception to individuals who provided key information that led to successful enforcement actions, virtually all of which was allotted during White's term.

Commenting on her time spent as chair, White said: “I am very proud of our three consecutive years of record enforcement actions, dozens of fundamental reforms through our rule-makings that have strengthened investor protections and market stability, and that the job satisfaction of our phenomenal staff has climbed in each of the last three years.”

She added: “My duty has been to ensure that the Commission implemented strong investor and market protections, and to establish an enduring foundation for future progress in the most critical areas - asset management regulation, equity market structure and disclosure effectiveness. We have accomplished both."  

Reforms to the SEC's leadership board are to be expected ahead of President-Elect Trump's inauguration, which is scheduled to take place on January 20, 2017.