Crypto CEOs Join U.S. CFTC's Innovation Council to Guide Market Developments
On December 10, 2025, CFTC Acting Chair Caroline Pham announced the formation of a CEO Innovation Council that includes executives from the cryptocurrency industry. The council's members include notable figures such as Tyler Winklevoss (Gemini), Arjun Sethi (Kraken), Shayne Coplan (Polymarket), alongside leaders from CME Group, Nasdaq, Bitnomial, Kalshi, Crypto.com, LSEG, ICE, and Cboe. The full lineup consists of 12 CEOs: Shayne Coplan, Craig Donohue, Terry Duffy, Tom Farley, Adena Friedman, Luke Hoersten, Tarek Mansour, Kris Marszalek, David Schwimmer, Arjun Sethi, Jeff Sprecher, and Tyler Winklevoss.
The council will focus on developments in the derivatives market structure related to tokenization, crypto assets, 24/7 trading, perpetual contracts, prediction markets, and blockchain market infrastructure. This initiative is part of Pham's broader crypto policy priorities, which also include piloting crypto collateral for derivatives and supporting services like Bitnomial's leveraged spot crypto trading.
The creation of this council reflects a wider movement toward pro-crypto regulatory policies in the U.S. government, in alignment with directives from President Trump. The CFTC is also expected to soon appoint a permanent chairman, with Mike Selig, Trump's nominee, awaiting Senate confirmation. Concurrently, the SEC is engaging in crypto policy efforts through a program called Project Crypto under Chairman Paul Atkins.
