President Donald Trump will nominate Brian Quintenz as chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, Quintenz announced in a post on X Feb. 12.
Quintenz, who served as a CFTC commissioner from 2017 to 2021, is currently head of policy at a16z crypto, a venture capital fund that invests in cryptocurrency and Web3 startups.
“The @CFTC plays a critical role in maintaining robust hedging and price discovery markets that are the envy of the globe,” Quintenz said in his post. “The agency is also well poised to ensure the USA leads the world in blockchain technology and innovation. I look forward to working with President Trump’s incredible financial regulatory team.”
The Trump administration and key lawmakers in Congress are keen on passing digital asset legislation that will likely give the CFTC more power in overseeing the crypto market.
In May, the House passed a bill aimed at establishing regulatory clarity for digital assets on a bipartisan basis. That bill, known as the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act, or FIT 21 Act, would give the CFTC new authority by naming it the regulator for digital commodities while also maintaining the Securities and Exchange Commission’s authority as the regulator for digital securities.
Prior to joining the CFTC, Quintenz was founder, managing principal and chief investment officer of Saeculum Capital Management.
