CFTC Unveils Innovation Committee Packed With Crypto and Wall Street Giants
The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has officially announced the members of its new Innovation Advisory Committee (IAC), and the lineup includes some of the most powerful names in both crypto and traditional finance.
From Coinbase and Uniswap to Nasdaq, CME, Robinhood, and Solana, the committee brings together leaders who collectively control trillions of dollars in market activity. The move signals a clear shift: instead of regulating innovation from the outside, the CFTC is bringing the builders directly into the policy process.
According to CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig, the committee will help the agency “future-proof” markets and create clear rules for what he called the “Golden Age of American Financial Markets.”
Why This Committee Matters
The Innovation Advisory Committee will serve as a strategic resource for the CFTC as it navigates rapid changes driven by blockchain, artificial intelligence, tokenization, and digital assets.
Rather than reacting to new technologies after they disrupt markets, the CFTC aims to stay ahead by consulting the very companies shaping the future of finance.
This approach could lead to:
Clearer rules for crypto derivatives
Faster integration of tokenized assets
Improved regulatory certainty for institutions
Greater collaboration between crypto and traditional finance
Major Crypto Leaders on the Committee
The crypto industry is strongly represented, with several top founders and CEOs:
Brian Armstrong — CEO, Coinbase
Hayden Adams — CEO, Uniswap Labs
Sergey Nazarov — CEO, Chainlink Labs
Anatoly Yakovenko — CEO, Solana Labs
Kris Marszalek — CEO, Crypto.com
Arjun Sethi — Co-CEO, Kraken
Tyler Winklevoss — CEO, Gemini
Peter Smith — CEO, Blockchain.com
Nathan McCauley — CEO, Anchorage Digital
Brad Garlinghouse — CEO, Ripple
Tom Farley — CEO, Bullish
Shayne Coplan — CEO, Polymarket
Tarek Mansour — CEO, Kalshi
Traditional Finance and Market Infrastructure Giants
Major institutions from traditional finance are also part of the committee:
Adena Friedman — Chair & CEO, Nasdaq
Terry Duffy — Chair & CEO, CME Group
Craig Donohue — CEO, Cboe Global Markets
Jeff Sprecher — CEO, Intercontinental Exchange
Frank LaSalla — CEO, Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation
David Schwimmer — CEO, London Stock Exchange Group
Andrej Bolkovic — CEO, Options Clearing Corporation
Don Wilson — CEO, DRW
Venture Capital, Tech, and Other Industry Leaders
The committee also includes key figures from venture capital, fintech, and academia:
Chris Dixon — Managing Partner, a16z crypto
Alana Palmedo — Managing Partner, Paradigm
Vance Spencer — Co-founder, Framework Ventures
Vlad Tenev — CEO, Robinhood
Jason Robins — CEO, DraftKings
Christian Genetski — President, FanDuel
Scott D. O’Malia — CEO, ISDA
Luke Hoersten — CEO, Bitnomial
Walt Lukken — CEO, FIA
Vivek Raman — CEO, Etherealize
Professor Harry Crane — Representative
Professor Carla Reyes — Representative
What This Signals for Crypto
This committee shows that crypto is no longer being treated as an outsider sector. When the CEOs of Coinbase, Nasdaq, CME, Robinhood, and Solana are all advising the same regulator, it highlights how deeply digital assets are merging with traditional finance.
If the committee succeeds, it could accelerate:
Institutional adoption
Tokenized financial products
Regulated crypto derivatives markets
Clearer compliance frameworks
In short, the CFTC is not just preparing for the future of finance—it’s inviting the people building it to help write the rules.
