Trump names SEC Crypto Task Force Head Selig as next nominee to run U.S. CFTC. If confirmed, current SEC official Mike Selig would take over the U.S. commodities watchdog as it's poised to be given wide authority over crypto.

Donald Trump has nominated Michael (Mike) Selig, currently chief counsel of the SEC’s Crypto Task Force and senior adviser to SEC Chair Paul Atkins, to serve as the next chair of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). The move comes after the White House withdrew its earlier CFTC pick, former CFTC Commissioner Brian Quintenz, following resistance from key Trump-aligned crypto donors Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, who questioned whether Quintenz was sufficiently aligned with Trump’s agenda. The CFTC is currently led by acting chair Caroline Pham, who has indicated she plans to depart once a permanent chair is confirmed. Selig’s nomination is significant because it is unfolding as Congress considers legislation that would give the CFTC sweeping new authority over spot crypto markets and broader digital asset market structure, positioning the agency as the primary U.S. regulator for non‑securities crypto trading. At his Senate confirmation hearing, Selig has argued that the CFTC is the “right and only” regulator for spot digital commodity trading and has pressed Congress to move quickly on digital asset legislation, signaling a crypto-forward, deregulatory approach focused on greater statutory clarity and shifting away from “regulation by enforcement.” If confirmed, Selig would succeed Pham and be well placed to shape the emerging federal framework for crypto derivatives and spot digital commodities, with major implications for exchanges, stablecoins, and token projects seeking a more CFTC-centric regime.

✨ AI-generated background, compiled from web sources — not editorial content.

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