Donald Trump has appointed a16z crypto policy head Brian Quintenz to head the CFTC

The new head intends to ensure that the CFTC becomes the primary regulator of cryptocurrencies

12.02.2025 - 09:15

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3 min

What’s new? President Donald Trump has appointed Brian Quintenz, head of policy at the Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) crypto division, to head the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Bloomberg reported.

Quintenz previously served as a Republican commissioner at the CFTC during Trump’s first term before joining the venture capital firm. He earned a reputation as a proponent of tailored, risk-focused regulation, urging the CFTC to focus on identifying and mitigating risks in derivatives markets rather than imposing broad regulatory measures.

He championed financial technology and innovation, particularly cryptocurrency and blockchain. He also chaired the CFTC’s Technology Advisory Committee, leading discussions on how new technologies are changing financial markets. As a result, his efforts paved the way for bitcoin futures contracts and advanced the evolution of decentralized finance (DeFi).

What else is known? Prior to his election, Trump actively sought support and donations from the crypto community, pledging to become a “crypto president” and block President Biden’s regulatory actions against crypto firms. Moreover, regulators have accused these firms of violating securities and anti-money laundering laws.

The CFTC is known for its softer approach compared to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Under Gary Gensler during the Biden administration, the SEC aggressively classified many cryptocurrencies as securities and initiated lawsuits against numerous crypto companies, a stance criticized for stifling innovation.

Gary Gensler: the SEC has never claimed that BTC and ETH are securities

At the same time, the official did not explicitly refute that both assets meet the definition of an investment contract

In contrast, the CFTC has traditionally focused on commodities, futures and derivatives, serving mostly institutional investors and maintaining a less stringent regulatory framework. The administration also plans to appoint Jonathan Gould as Comptroller of the Currency and Jonathan McKernan as head of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

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