CFTC | Crypto

The Trump administration has appointed Michael Selig, a pro-crypto lawyer and SEC counsel, to head up the CFTC. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) may finally get a chairperson as President Donald Trump’s nominee, Michael Selig, begins the vetting process. The CFTC is currently under the leadership of Acting Chair Caroline Pham, who assumed the role in April 2025. She was nominated to the position by President Joe Biden in 2022 and unanimously confirmed by the Senate. The Trump administration initially picked former CFTC Commissioner Brian Quintenz, who also sat on the board of gambling platform Kalshi. However, his nomination was withdrawn in September, reportedly at the request of the Winklevoss brothers, who were concerned that he was not sufficiently pro-crypto. Read more

White House crypto and AI czar David Sacks announced Selig as US President Donald Trump's pick after Brian Quintenz's nomination to lead the regulator was withdrawn. US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) official Michael Selig announced that President Donald Trump had nominated him to chair the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), citing a focus on crypto policies. The move still requires Senate approval and comes as the agency operates with several open seats. In Saturday X posts, Selig and White House crypto and AI czar David Sacks confirmed reports that Trump would nominate him to chair the CFTC, setting the groundwork for the departure of acting Chair Caroline Pham. Selig, whose nomination did not appear in congressional records nor among official White House announcements at the time of publication, reiterated Trump’s goal of making the US a “crypto capital.” Read more

The rumored nomination of Michael Selig follows the CFTC nomination process hitting a snag in September when Brian Quintenz was withdrawn. US President Donald Trump is planning to nominate Michael Selig as the next chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), after pulling back the nomination of Brian Quintenz. Bloomberg reported the news on Friday, citing an unnamed Trump administration official. No official announcement has been made at the time of this writing. Selig currently serves as the Securities and Exchange Commission’s crypto task force chief counsel and senior adviser to SEC Chair Paul Atkins. He has been characterized as “pro-crypto” by some analysts and influencers in the crypto community, who celebrated the potential nomination. Read more

The rumored nomination of Michael Selig follows the CFTC nomination process hitting a snag in September when Brian Quintenz was withdrawn. US President Donald Trump is planning to nominate Michael Selig as the next chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), after pulling back the nomination of Brian Quintenz. Bloomberg reported the news on Friday, citing an unnamed Trump administration official. No official announcement has been made at the time of this writing. Selig currently serves as the Securities and Exchange Commission’s crypto task force chief counsel and senior adviser to SEC Chair Paul Atkins. He has been characterized as “pro-crypto” by some analysts and influencers in the crypto community, who celebrated the potential nomination. Read more

The rumored nomination of Michael Selig follows the CFTC nomination process hitting a snag in September when Brian Quintenz was withdrawn. US President Donald Trump is planning to nominate Michael Selig as the next chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), after pulling back the nomination of Brian Quintenz. Bloomberg reported the news on Friday, citing an unnamed Trump administration official. No official announcement has been made at the time of this writing. Selig currently serves as the Securities and Exchange Commission’s crypto task force chief counsel and senior adviser to SEC Chair Paul Atkins. He has been characterized as “pro-crypto” by some analysts and influencers in the crypto community, who celebrated the potential nomination. Read more

It’s unclear when US President Donald Trump could announce another pick to chair the CFTC amid a government shutdown with no end in sight. Update (Oct. 1 at 8:35 pm UTC): This article has been updated to include a statement from Summer Mersinger. The future leadership of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), already having faced four commissioner departures in 2025, hangs in the balance after the White House withdrew Brian Quintenz’s nomination. On Tuesday, Quintenz, a former commissioner and head of policy at Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto division, confirmed that the White House had withdrawn his nomination as CFTC chair more than seven months after it was officially announced. The withdrawal came following reports suggesting that Gemini co-founders Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, both donors and supporters of US President Donald Trump, had been pressing the White House to reconsider Quintenz. Read more

The CFTC still doesn’t have a permanent chair, but there are reportedly several pro-crypto contenders who are under consideration to lead the agency. Almost a year into the second term of US President Donald Trump, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) still doesn’t have a permanent head. Former CFTC Commissioner Brian Quintenz was Trump’s top choice for the role. A confirmation vote was expected by the end of July but was stalled at the request of the White House. Reportedly, the Winklevoss brothers didn’t want Quintenz as chair because he wouldn’t sufficiently protect the cryptocurrency industry. So, who will it be? In recent weeks, several different names have appeared as possible candidates, including former commissioners and policy experts. The White House has not confirmed its choice, but some names have been floated by insiders. Read more

At least three other candidates may be in the running to chair the CTFC after the Winklevoss twins reportedly soured on Trump’s first pick, Brian Quintenz. Former US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) member and US President Donald Trump’s pick to chair the agency, Brian Quintenz, may not face a vote in the Senate after reports suggested Trump was considering other candidates for the job. According to a Wednesday Semafor report, the Trump administration was vetting Josh Sterling, a former director at the CFTC’s market participants division, to chair the agency as Quintenz’s nomination reportedly stalled. Sterling, who worked at the CFTC from 2019 to 2021, was appointed to his position during the first Trump administration and did not face a Senate vote. He is a partner at Milbank, an international law firm. Read more

US Commodity Futures Trading Commission acting chair Caroline Pham said her agency is looking to allow derivatives traders to post stablecoins and tokenized assets as collateral. The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission is looking to allow tokenized assets, including stablecoins, to be used in derivatives markets as collateral in a move supported by crypto executives. CFTC acting chair Caroline Pham said on Tuesday that her agency will “work closely with stakeholders” on the scheme and is encouraging feedback on using tokenized collateral in derivatives markets until Oct. 20. If implemented, stablecoins like USDC (USDC) and Tether (USDT) would be treated similarly to traditional collateral like cash or US Treasurys in regulated derivatives trading. Congress passed laws earlier this year regulating stablecoins, which have seen their adoption grow among financial institutions. Read more

Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Acting Chairman Caroline Pham announced on Sept. 23 that the agency will launch an initiative to enable tokenized collateral in derivatives markets, including stablecoins. The announcement builds on the CFTC’s February 2025 Crypto CEO Forum and forms part of the agency’s crypto sprint, implementing recommendations from President Donald Trump’s Working […] The post CFTC launches initiative to enable stablecoins as derivatives market collateral appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Uniswap, Aptos, BNY, Chainlink, JP Morgan and Franklin Templeton executives join CFTC’s Digital Asset Markets Subcommittee under Acting Chair Pham. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has appointed new members to its Global Markets Advisory Committee (GMAC) and subcommittees, adding several crypto industry leaders to the Digital Asset Markets Subcommittee (DAMS) — a move that underscores the regulator’s continued engagement with the sector.  CFTC Acting Chair Caroline D. Pham named four new DAMS members: Katherine Minarik, chief legal officer at Uniswap Labs; Avery Ching, co-founder and chief technology officer of Aptos Labs; James J. Hill, managing director and head of structure innovation at BNY; and Ben Sherwin, general counsel at Chainlink Labs. In addition, Scott Lucas, head of digital assets at JPMorgan, was appointed co-chair of DAMS alongside Sandy Kaul, executive vice president at Franklin Templeton. They succeed Caroline Butler, who previously served as co-chair. Read more

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) will hold a joint roundtable on Sept. 29 to advance regulatory coordination in the digital asset sector. In a Sept. 5 joint statement, the agencies said fragmented oversight in the past had discouraged innovation and driven some crypto activity overseas. They […] The post SEC and CFTC aim to harmonize crypto rules, boost US market leadership appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Outgoing CFTC Commissioner Kristin Johnson said prediction markets pose risks to retail investors, and slammed companies exploiting license loopholes for event betting. Outgoing Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Commissioner Kristin N. Johnson warned that prediction markets pose increasing risks to retail investors. She cited a lack of oversight and regulatory clarity as primary concerns. In her farewell public address on Wednesday, Johnson voiced concern that some market participants are offering leveraged prediction market contracts to retail investors without clear regulatory boundaries. “As of today, we have too few guardrails and too little visibility into the prediction market landscape,” she said in a farewell speech at the Brookings Institution. “There is an urgent need for the commission to express in a clear voice our expectations related to these contracts,” she added. Read more

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) granted regulatory approval for prediction market platform Polymarket to resume US operations through a no-action letter issued to QCX LLC on Sept. 3. The CFTC’s Division of Market Oversight and the Division of Clearing and Risk announced that they will not pursue enforcement action against QCX LLC or QC […] The post CFTC grants Polymarket green light for US return through regulatory approval appeared first on CryptoSlate.

U.S. market regulators took a coordinated step to encourage the growth of crypto markets, issuing a joint staff statement on Sept. 2 that affirmed registered exchanges are not barred from offering certain spot crypto asset products. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) said the statement reflects their staff […] The post SEC and CFTC pave new regulatory path for US spot crypto markets appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Crypto regulation has faced turbulence as the CFTC adopts Nasdaq surveillance while losing commissioners, Bitcoin’s resilience reinforced by Trump adviser David Bailey, and Trump’s team confirms interviews for a successor to Fed Chair Powell, signaling shifts in financial oversight and policy. The post Weekly Crypto Regulation News: CFTC in Turmoil and Trump Eyes Powell Successor appeared first on Cryptonews.

The U.S. derivatives regulator issued a "reminder" that foreign crypto firms registered with the CFTC as FBOTs can directly handle U.S. customers.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) Division of Market Oversight issued an advisory on Aug. 28 clarifying foreign board of trade (FBOT) registration rules for non-US exchanges seeking to provide Americans with direct market access. Acting Chair Caroline Pham positioned the guidance as a remedy for trading activity that departed during previous enforcement actions. The […] The post CFTC issues advisory to restore US access to foreign crypto exchanges appeared first on CryptoSlate.

The Crypto Council for Innovation (CCI) and the Blockchain Association jointly issued a letter on Aug. 20 endorsing Brian Quintenz for Chairman of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). In the letter to President Donald Trump, the groups emphasized that confirming Quintenz promptly is critical to advancing his administration’s agenda to foster a “golden […] The post Crypto groups endorse Brian Quintenz for CFTC amid regulatory standoff with banks appeared first on CryptoSlate.

Seven leading crypto organizations have written to President Trump, urging swift confirmation of Brian Quintenz as CFTC chair. They cite his deep expertise in digital assets and markets as essential for guiding U.S. regulation, even as Senate delays raise uncertainty around his nomination. The post Crypto Lobby Rallies Behind Brian Quintenz for CFTC – But Will the Senate Move? appeared first on Cryptonews.