CFTC Assembles 35-Member Innovation Advisory Committee Stacked with Crypto CEOs

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission just announced the full roster of its Innovation Advisory Committee, and the list reads like a who’s who of crypto and traditional finance leadership.

CFTC Chairman Mike Selig named 35 members to the committee, which will advise the agency on market structure developments including tokenization, crypto assets, perpetual contracts, prediction markets, and blockchain infrastructure. The group expands on a smaller CEO council established late last year under former Acting Chairman Caroline Pham, nearly tripling its size while adding several of the most influential names in the digital asset space.

Here is the full roster of the @CFTC Innovation Advisory Committee. pic.twitter.com/J8YwpXQ8I9

— Mike Selig (@ChairmanSelig) February 12, 2026

The Crypto Contingent

The committee’s crypto representation is substantial. Brian Armstrong of Coinbase and Brad Garlinghouse of Ripple both secured seats, placing two of the industry’s most prominent voices directly in front of regulators. They’re joined by Sergey Nazarov of Chainlink Labs, Anatoly Yakovenko of Solana Labs, and Vlad Tenev of Robinhood, whose platform has become a major on-ramp for retail crypto investors.

Exchange leadership is well represented with Arjun Sethi from Kraken, Tyler Winklevoss from Gemini, and Kris Marszalek from Crypto.com. The DeFi sector has a voice through Hayden Adams, CEO of Uniswap Labs, while institutional crypto services are covered by Peter Mintzberg of Grayscale and Nathan McCauley of Anchorage Digital.

The venture capital perspective comes from Chris Dixon of a16z Crypto, Alana Palmedo of Paradigm, and Vance Spencer of Framework Ventures, three firms that have deployed billions into crypto infrastructure and applications.

By bringing together participants from every corner of the marketplace, the IAC will be a major asset for the Commission as we work to modernize our rules and regulations for the innovations of today and tomorrow

CFTC Chairman Mike Selig

Prediction Markets Get Their Moment

Prediction markets earned notable representation on the committee. Shayne Coplan of Polymarket and Tarek Mansour of Kalshi both have seats, along with Thomas Chippas of Rothera Markets. The inclusion of Christian Genetski from FanDuel and Jason Robins from DraftKings signals that the CFTC is looking at the broader landscape of event-based trading, not just crypto-native platforms.

This comes as prediction markets have surged in visibility following Polymarket’s prominent role in the 2024 election cycle, and as the CFTC continues to define regulatory frameworks for these products.

Traditional Finance at the Table

The committee balances its crypto-heavy roster with leadership from legacy financial infrastructure. Terry Duffy of CME Group, Adena Friedman of Nasdaq, Craig Donohue of Cboe Global Markets, and Jeff Sprecher of Intercontinental Exchange all hold seats. These are the executives running the exchanges that have already launched Bitcoin and Ethereum futures products and are positioning for expanded crypto offerings.

Clearing and settlement infrastructure is represented through Frank LaSalla of DTCC and Andrej Bolkovic of the Options Clearing Corporation. Industry associations FIA and ISDA round out the traditional finance contingent through Walt Lukken and Scott O’Malia respectively.

Why It Matters

The CFTC is positioning itself as a lead regulator for crypto markets, particularly for commodities like Bitcoin and Ethereum and for derivatives products. Chairman Selig recently announced that the agency is pursuing a crypto agenda alongside the SEC through a joint initiative called Project Crypto.

Having this concentration of industry leadership advising the commission matters for several reasons. These executives will have direct input on rulemaking around tokenization, perpetual contracts, 24/7 trading, and blockchain market infrastructure. The committee’s composition suggests the CFTC is serious about understanding how these markets actually function before writing rules that govern them.

The presence of both crypto-native companies and traditional finance incumbents also signals an acknowledgment that these worlds are converging. When Nasdaq’s CEO sits on the same advisory committee as Uniswap’s CEO, it reflects a regulatory understanding that the lines between traditional and decentralized finance are blurring.

The Bottom Line

The CFTC just handed crypto’s most influential executives a direct line to the regulators who will shape how digital asset markets operate in the United States. With Coinbase, Ripple, Chainlink, Solana, Kraken, Gemini, Uniswap, and Grayscale all represented alongside CME, Nasdaq, and ICE, the Innovation Advisory Committee reflects a regulatory body that recognizes crypto is no longer a fringe market.

The question now is whether that access translates into sensible policy. The composition of this committee suggests the CFTC is at least asking the right people.

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