US Commodity Futures Trading Commission Rehires Advisor From Coinbase

The United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has announced that it is hiring Andrew L. Ridenour as senior counsel to the chairman. Up until recently, Ridenour worked at the major cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase.

CFTC Chairman Tarbert unveiled Ridenour and others as new hires on July 17, commenting that the “counsel and expertise of my team will be essential to our efforts to keep our derivatives markets vibrant and hold wrongdoers accountable.”

Who is Andrew Ridenour?

According to Ridenour’s LinkedIn profile, he worked at the CFTC for 9 years as special counsel at the Division of Market Oversight and senior trial attorney. Ridenour then took a hiatus from the government to work for the crypto exchange Coinbase as counsel for institutional products for a little over a year and a half, before returning to the CFTC.

While at Coinbase, Ridenour apparently developed legal structures and business plans for the exchange’s trading and custodial services. Now rejoining the CFTC, he will reportedly offer legal and policy counsel to the chairman pertaining to the futures and derivatives markets.

Ridenour holds postgraduate degrees in both law and international relations, with a J.D. from Tulane University Law School as well as an M.A. from Tulane University.

New chairman, new regime?

As previously reported by Cointelegraph, Heath Tarbert was sworn in as the CFTC’s chair just two weeks ago. His predecessor, J. Christopher Giancarlo — AKA the “Crypto Dad” — was regarded as a pro-cryptocurrency regulator. Tarbert’s views on cryptocurrency, on the other hand, are more unknown as of yet. 

Tarbet holds a Ph.D. in comparative law from Oxford and has worked for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas. Talbert has also worked as Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for International Markets and Development under President Trump, as well as for the secretary for international affairs.