Biden taps crypto-savvy former CFTC chair for transition team

Published at: Nov. 11, 2020

Less than four days after his official acceptance speech, Joe Biden has already begun assembling a team including the former chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as part of his transition to the 46th President of the United States.

According to a Nov. 10 announcement from the ‘Biden-Harris Transition’, Gary Gensler has volunteered to join President-elect Joe Biden’s team as a financial expert. The former CFTC chair will be the lead tasked with ensuring as smooth a transition as possible with the Federal Reserve and banking and securities regulators.

Gensler served as chairman for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, under President Barack Obama from 2009 until 2014. He was known as a stringent regulator during his time as CFTC head, overseeing reforms to the $400 trillion financial derivatives market.

The new financial team lead has said that cryptocurrencies including Bitcoin (BTC) need regulation to grow, arguing that investors should be protected in the event of market manipulation. In 2018, Gensler also stated that Initial Coin Offerings should be considered securities, placing them within the regulatory purview of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

In addition to his appointment on the transition team, Gensler is currently a senior advisor at the MIT Media Lab’s Digital Currency Initiative. The group conducts research on blockchain and digital currency with a goal of facilitating development and adoption of the technology.

Tags
Related Posts
Crypto-friendly CFTC Commissioner Brian Quintenz reportedly plans to step down
Brian Quintenz, who has served as one of the commissioners with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, or CFTC, reportedly plans to leave the agency on Aug. 31. According to a Thursday report from the Wall Street Journal, Quintenz is expected to announce his move into the private sector after leaving the CFTC later this month. He hinted that his future career could include a focus on “innovation, particularly related to cryptocurrency and DeFi” and planned to continue advocating for the crypto space. Quintenz was first nominated to the position by President Barack Obama in March 2016 before being re-nominated by …
Regulation / Aug. 19, 2021
Binary Options Scams Spread Into Crypto, Time for US Lawmakers to Act
Mainstream finance and cryptocurrency are becoming more closely intertwined with each passing day. Just over a year ago, the idea of centralized financial behemoths trialing blockchain or crypto solutions would have been unthinkable. Currently, cryptocurrency is traded like never before. In just the last few weeks, major players have launched both Bitcoin options and futures platforms, making cryptocurrency accessible to a whole new range of investors. For crypto enthusiasts, each instance of wider integration with mainstream finance is a cause for celebration. For cryptocurrency’s many detractors, these new ways of trading are simply opening the door to a rogue sector …
Regulation / Nov. 6, 2019
US lawmaker hints at upcoming crypto legislation as Jerome Powell says Fed will release report on digital currency soon
At his confirmation hearing in front of members of the Senate Banking Committee, Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell said the agency would be releasing its report on cryptocurrencies “within weeks.” Addressing Idaho Senator Mike Crapo remotely from the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Tuesday, Powell said the Fed’s report on digital currencies wasn’t “quite where we needed to get it” but would be released soon regardless. The Fed chair cited “changes in monetary policy” as part of the reason for the delayed report, which is expected to address policy surrounding the possible rollout of a central bank digital currency in …
Regulation / Jan. 11, 2022
Uniswap founder's bank account shut down by JP Morgan Chase, shadow-debanking allegations surface
On Sunday, Hayden Adams, CEO and founder of popular decentralized exchange, or DEX, Uniswap (UNI), claimed that his JP Morgan Chase bank accounts were shut down with no explanation. In addition, Adams stated that the incident was personal in nature as he knew "many individuals and companies who have been similarly targeted simply for working in the crypto industry." This week @jpmorgan @Chase closed my bank accounts with no notice or explanation ‍ I know many individuals and companies who have been similarly targeted simply for working in the crypto industry Thanks for making it a personal — hayden.eth (@haydenzadams) …
Blockchain / Jan. 24, 2022
Crypto owners banned from working on US Government crypto policies
US government officials who privately own cryptocurrencies are now banned from working on regulations and policies that could affect the value of digital assets. A new advisory notice released by the US Office of Government Ethics (OGE) on Tuesday stated that the de minimis exemption — which allows for the owners of securities who hold an amount below a certain threshold to work on policy related to that security — is universally inapplicable when it comes to cryptocurrencies and stablecoins. “As a result, an employee who holds any amount of a cryptocurrency or stablecoin may not participate in a particular …
Blockchain / July 7, 2022