According to FOX Business, President-elect Donald Trump's transition team has shortlisted at least six potential candidates to lead the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in order to fulfill Trump's commitment to create a more cryptocurrency-friendly regulatory environment.
Current CFTC Chairman Rostin Behnam has stated he will step down on January 20, the day of Trump's inauguration. Currently, Trump has appointed several individuals friendly to cryptocurrency to key positions, including lawyer Paul Atkins, who supports cryptocurrency, replacing Gary Gensler to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and Scott Bessent, who supports Bitcoin, to lead the Treasury Department.
For the cryptocurrency industry, Trump's choice for CFTC chairman may be the most influential. According to reports, Trump's transition team has recently interviewed current CFTC Commissioner Summer Mersinger, policy head Brian Quintenz from the cryptocurrency division of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), and former legal chief Marco Santori of the cryptocurrency exchange Kraken (who has not yet announced his departure from the exchange).
Other shortlisted candidates still under consideration include Republican CFTC Commissioner Caroline Pham, as well as lawyers Neal Kumar and Josh Sterling, who have held senior positions at the CFTC.
Two policy insiders who spoke with FOX Business believe that a16z's Quintenz and CFTC Commissioner Mersinger are the two most promising candidates for the CFTC chair, both having government work experience, familiarity with the agency, and respect within the Washington policy circle.
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