Who is Brian Quintenz, the a16z crypto boss tapped to lead CFTC?

Crypto’s excited astir Donald Trump’s latest regulatory pick.

On Wednesday, the President nominated pro-crypto campaigner Brian Quintenz to beryllium the adjacent Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s chair.

He is presently the caput of argumentation astatine concern elephantine Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto arm, and has agelong been an manufacture supporter.

The CFTC is “well poised to guarantee the USA leads the satellite successful blockchain exertion and innovation,” Quintenz wrote connected X, announcing his information and seemingly his absorption for the role.

Industry talking heads congratulated Quintenz’s nomination.

He received accolades from the likes of Strategy Chair Michael Saylor, Securities and Exchange Commission Commissioner Hester Pierce, Uniswap Labs CEO Hayden Adams, and David Marcus, Lightspark CEO and erstwhile caput of Meta’s failed crypto task Diem.

The manufacture has crushed to beryllium bullish.

During his campaign, Trump pledged to marque the US the “crypto superior of the planet.”

His nominations of Quintenz and other pro-industry candidates to cardinal authorities roles awesome that the president plans to fulfil his promises to the industry.

So who is Quintenz?

Quintenz is simply a DC regular.

He first served successful the District arsenic elder argumentation advisor to the House Republican Conference betwixt 2003 and 2006.

Between 2001 and 2007, Quintenz served arsenic Congresswoman Deborah Pryce’s elder argumentation adviser. He spent the adjacent 8 years successful backstage equity.

Quintenz besides served arsenic CFTC commissioner betwixt 2017 and 2021. During his tenure, Quintenz was an advocator for blockchain exertion and Bitcoin. He belied a heavy knowing of and content successful crypto.

In his first address arsenic commissioner, made to the Symphony Innovate Conference successful New York successful 2017, Quintenz said the ecosystem astir Bitcoin to “provide a grounds of ownership and transportation for thing that exists lone successful ether” was fascinating.

The adjacent year, Quintenz said blockchain exertion held the committedness “to alteration the gathering blocks not conscionable of our fiscal markets, but of commerce successful general.”

In 2021, successful his final statement arsenic a CFTC commissioner, Quintenz said: “I look guardant to keeping innovation, peculiarly related to crypto and DeFi, applicable to my vocation and volition proceed advocating for the freedom, innovation, inclusion, and prosperity they offer.”

That aforesaid year, Quintenz joined arsenic a16z crypto’s crypto argumentation advisor, aboriginal to beryllium its caput of crypto policy.

Andreessen Horowitz has made nary concealed of its ambition to predominate the crypto industry, arsenic The New York Times successful 2021.

Between November 2021 and November 2022, helium besides served arsenic a subordinate of Crypto.com’s advisory council.

The crypto exchange’s CEO Kris Marszalek was among those who congratulated Quintenz connected his nomination.

What’s next?

Quintenz’s information volition present caput to the Senate, wherever it volition beryllium considered and voted connected by the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee. The CFTC regulates galore cultivation fiscal derivatives.

Once considered there, the process volition determination to a afloat Senate ballot for confirmation.

Given the 53-45 divided successful favour of Republicans successful the Senate, it’s apt that Quintenz’s information volition determination forward.

And the manufacture seemingly has his back.

Quintenz’s “real acquisition successful the crypto manufacture on with his cognition of the CFTC makes him perfectly suited to pb the bureau — and aligned with President Trump’s imaginativeness for crypto successful the United States,” said Kristin Smith, CEO of crypto lobby radical the Blockchain Association, successful a statement.

Andrew Flanagan is simply a Markets Correspondent for DL News. Got a tip? Email astatine [email protected].