Amir Zaidi Returns to CFTC as Chief of Staff to Advance Crypto Market Oversight
Amir Zaidi has returned to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as Chief of Staff, appointed by Chairman Michael S. Selig on December 31. Zaidi previously served at the CFTC from 2010 to 2019, where he led the Division of Market Oversight and oversaw the certification and deployment of the first federally regulated cryptocurrency product: Bitcoin futures.
The first federally regulated Bitcoin futures were introduced in late 2017, when CME and Cboe self-certified Bitcoin futures contracts, paving the way for US-listed trading shortly thereafter. After his tenure at the CFTC, Zaidi became the global head of compliance at TP ICAP in 2019.
Chairman Selig views Zaidi's return as emblematic of a strategic shift within the agency—from a focus on enforcement toward clearer regulatory rules and a pro-innovation approach to overseeing digital asset markets. The CFTC is increasingly involved in the infrastructure of crypto markets, aiming to keep crypto activity within US jurisdiction and progressing digital asset legislation toward President Trump's desk.
Zaidi’s appointment marks a significant step in positioning the CFTC at the center of 2026 market-structure discussions and policy formulation under Selig’s leadership.
