Overview
- Acting Chair Caroline Pham named 12 executives to the inaugural roster, including leaders from Gemini, Kraken, Polymarket, Bitnomial, CME Group, Nasdaq, Intercontinental Exchange and Cboe.
- Pham said the council will focus on market-structure issues such as tokenization, crypto assets, 24/7 trading, perpetual contracts, prediction markets and blockchain infrastructure.
- The appointment caps a two-week recruitment push and will lead to public discussions on the agency’s priorities.
- The move follows a new CFTC pilot for using crypto as collateral in derivatives and Pham’s acknowledgment of Bitnomial’s leveraged spot crypto trading under existing derivatives laws.
- The announcement comes as the Senate is expected to confirm President Donald Trump’s nominee, Mike Selig, as permanent chair, placing near-term follow-through under new leadership.