Pro-crypto Brian Quintenz returns to CFTC as Trump’s chairman pick

Former CFTC commissioner Brian Quintenz is expected to lead the agency again, reporting a change in cryptographic regulation under the Trump administration.

Brian Quintenz, former commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, should return as president following his selection by American president Donald Trump, according to in Bloomberg.

If he is confirmed, he would serve a mandate until April 13, 2029, returning to the agency at a time when cryptographic regulations are a central problem of financial policy.

His appointment aligns with the wider efforts of the Trump administration to reshape the regulatory monitoring of digital assets and derivative markets.

Quintenz previously was a republican commissioner at the CFTC from 2017 to 2021, playing a key role in supervising the launch of the first fully regulated bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (Ethn) Term contracts.

During his mandate, he appeared as an ardent defender of a pro-innovation regulatory framework, putting pressure for clear and well-defined rules which would encourage the institutional adoption of digital assets while maintaining the integrity of the market.

His position earned him comparisons with the SEC Commissioner, Hester Peirce, set up the “cryptographic mother” in the circles of the industry – for her similar plea in matters of user -friendly regulation of cryptos.

After leaving the CFTC, Quintenz seal The cryptographic division of Andreessen Horowitz (A16Z) in December 2022, where he directed political efforts to influence the regulations of American cryptography.

The venture capital giant, which has investments in projects like Solana (GROUND), Upap (UNITED), Lido Dao (Ldo), Optimism (Boost), and Eigenlayer (OWN), has always pushed CFTC surveillance of digital assets rather than for the jurisdiction of the dry.

The cryptographic industry has long considered the CFTC as a more accommodating regulator compared to the dry, which adopted a stricter approach focused on the presidency of Gary Gensler.

The appointment follows months of speculation. In December, reports surface May Trump plan that Quintenz among the other candidates for the role.

Meanwhile, AI and the newly named Cryptographic Tsar by Trump, David Sacks, A describe plans to work with the Congress on the legislation on the structure of the market, indicating pressure for lighter regulations of digital assets.

Quintenz’s yield could mark a change in the way the derivative market of $ 400 billions, which includes an increasing share of crypto products, is regulated.

The acting president of the CFTC, Caroline Pham, expressed her support for the appointment, declaring that she worked with Quintenz on key initiatives during her previous mandate and thinks that he will put the same focus on the crypto and Innovation at the agency.