Trump to Tap Former CFTC Commissioner, a16z Policy Head Brian Quintenz for CFTC Head

Brian Quintenz, a one-time commissioner with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and Andreessen Horowitz's caput of policy, volition beryllium Donald Trump's prime to tally the national commodities regulator.

Quintenz antecedently served successful the regulator betwixt 2017 and 2021, wherever helium organized the Technology Advisory Committee. During his clip arsenic commissioner, helium said a self-regulatory enactment circumstantial to the crypto manufacture could assistance oversee companies.

Since leaving the agency, helium joined a16z, wherever helium became the caput of policy. A16z was 1 of the large funders of Fairshake, a crypto-focused governmental enactment committee which poured adjacent to $140 million into the 2024 election.

Punchbowl News archetypal reported the nomination.

In a statement, Acting CFTC Chair Caroline Pham said, "I congratulate my person Brian Quintenz connected his enactment for CFTC Chairman. I worked with Brian connected important initiatives that helium led to occurrence erstwhile helium was a CFTC Commissioner. He volition bash the aforesaid for crypto and innovation. I look guardant to supporting Brian and his enactment astatine the CFTC."

Industry groups likewise supported the information aft quality of it spread. Miller Whitehouse-Levine, the CEO of the DeFi Education Fund, a lobbying group, said the enactment looked guardant to moving with him.

"Brian has a agelong way grounds of supporting DeFi and advocating for dependable policies that volition alteration DeFi developers and users to thrive successful the United States," helium said successful a statement.

In caller years, the manufacture and Congress person pushed toward giving the CFTC greater oversight of the industry.

Former CFTC Chair Rostin Behnam advocated for making the bureau a superior marketplace regulator for astatine slightest parts of the industry, including overseeing spot Bitcoin markets.

A bill, the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act, would person fixed the CFTC greater authorization implicit crypto policy. The House passed it past year, but it did not spell done the Senate.