CFTC Chair Names 35-Member Innovation Advisory Committee

Michael S. Selig, Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), has officially appointed members to the agency’s newly formed Innovation Advisory Committee (IAC), marking a structural shift in how the regulator approaches digital assets and emerging technologies.

The 35-person panel replaces the former Technology Advisory Committee (TAC) and brings together a strong majority of leaders from cryptocurrency and digital asset firms, alongside executives from traditional finance and prediction markets.

A Committee Built for Digital Markets

The Innovation Advisory Committee is designed to advise the CFTC on modernizing its regulatory framework for blockchain infrastructure, artificial intelligence, digital commodities, and evolving market structures.

Among the most notable members:

• Brian Armstrong, CEO of Coinbase
• Adena Friedman, CEO of Nasdaq
• Shayne Coplan, Founder of Polymarket

The broader panel spans three primary sectors:

• Crypto & Blockchain
• Traditional Finance & Market Infrastructure
• Prediction Markets & Gaming

The composition reflects a deliberate effort to integrate both crypto-native leadership and established financial market operators into the regulatory conversation.

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Strategic Goals Behind the IAC

Chairman Selig stated that the committee will help ensure CFTC decisions reflect current “market realities” as digital assets increasingly intersect with regulated derivatives markets.

The IAC’s mandate includes:

• Advising on digital asset market structure reforms
• Evaluating tokenized collateral frameworks
• Assessing growth and oversight of prediction markets
• Recommending approaches to AI integration in financial infrastructure

The formation of the IAC also coincides with Project Crypto, a joint initiative between the CFTC and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) aimed at clarifying crypto asset classification and harmonizing federal oversight.

A Shift Toward Coordinated Oversight

The replacement of the Technology Advisory Committee with the Innovation Advisory Committee signals a move from purely technical consultation to broader market-structure modernization.

With increasing institutional participation in crypto derivatives, tokenized assets, and event-based contracts, the CFTC appears to be positioning itself for a more active role in shaping the next phase of U.S. digital market infrastructure.

The composition of the IAC suggests that regulatory engagement with crypto is no longer exploratory. It is structural.

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