Commodity Futures Buying and selling Fee Chairman Michael Selig launched the Innovation Advisory Committee to supply experience on rising applied sciences reshaping monetary markets, marking his first main coverage initiative since taking management of the derivatives regulator final month.
The newly renamed panel replaces the previous Know-how Advisory Committee and can embrace representatives from monetary establishments, regulatory our bodies, expertise suppliers, public curiosity teams, academia, and market infrastructure corporations, with constitution members drawn from the CEO Innovation Council established by former Performing Chair Caroline Pham.
Selig is searching for extra nominations by way of January 31 because the company prepares regulatory frameworks for synthetic intelligence, blockchain, and cloud computing purposes in commodity derivatives markets.
The chairman positioned the committee as central to creating what he referred to as “clear guidelines of the highway for the Golden Age of American Monetary Markets,” whereas Congress prepares to finalize complete digital asset laws.
Innovators are harnessing applied sciences reminiscent of synthetic intelligence, blockchain, and cloud computing to modernize legacy monetary methods and construct fully new ones. Underneath my management, the Fee will develop fit-for-purpose market construction rules for this new… https://t.co/puzntxnkvf
— Mike Selig (@MichaelSelig) January 12, 2026
Selig Alerts Innovation Focus Following Pham’s Digital Asset Legacy
The IAC launch comes as Selig inherits an company remodeled by Pham’s aggressive modernization efforts throughout her tenure as appearing chair.
Pham’s last yr delivered regulatory breakthroughs, together with spot crypto buying and selling on CFTC-registered exchanges, approval of a digital asset markets pilot program accepting Bitcoin, Ether, and USDC as collateral, and no-action aid for 4 prediction market operators.
She deployed the company’s first automated market surveillance system whereas granting regulatory aid that unlocked tens of billions in capital for market members.
“A variety of novel applied sciences are enabling the creation of fully new merchandise, platforms, and companies and reworking the monetary markets panorama,” Selig mentioned in asserting the committee.
“Innovators are harnessing applied sciences reminiscent of synthetic intelligence, blockchain, and cloud computing to modernize legacy monetary methods and construct fully new ones.“
The committee’s constitution directs members to supply recommendation on technological innovation’s business, financial, and sensible implications throughout monetary providers, derivatives, and commodity markets, whereas recommending applicable expertise funding ranges to assist the company’s surveillance and enforcement capabilities.
Selig’s appointment follows his Senate affirmation in December, after serving as chief counsel of the SEC’s Crypto Process Pressure and as a senior advisor to SEC Chairman Paul Atkins, the place he developed regulatory frameworks for digital asset securities markets and contributed to the President’s Working Group report on strengthening American management in digital monetary expertise.
His profession in personal apply concerned advising derivatives purchasers and digital asset corporations on regulatory issues at a significant legislation agency, offering him with direct publicity to the compliance challenges confronted by exchanges, buying and selling platforms, and institutional market members.
Committee Formation Happens Amid Legislative Uncertainty on Crypto Markets
The advisory panel’s institution coincides with turbulent negotiations over Senate digital asset laws which have missed a number of deadlines all through 2025.
Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman John Boozman postponed a deliberate markup of the Digital Asset Market Readability Act to late January, citing the necessity for added time to finalize coverage particulars following weekend negotiations with Democratic lead Senator Cory Booker.
Conventional banking teams intensified lobbying to limit stablecoin rewards past the GENIUS Act’s framework, with Coinbase threatening to withdraw assist if negotiators insert restrictions past enhanced disclosure necessities.
Three Democratic senators demanded a full listening to earlier than Thursday’s markup, criticizing the dearth of textual content simply two days earlier than the vote on what they referred to as “probably the most important legislation thought-about by the committee this century.”
The laws impacts 68 million American crypto homeowners and the $3 trillion digital asset market. Nevertheless, TD Cowen not too long ago warned that the 2026 midterm elections might delay passage till 2027, as Democrats could withhold assist forward of the following electoral cycle.
In the meantime, Senator Cynthia Lummis launched standalone laws to guard non-custodial blockchain builders from being categorized as cash transmitters, emphasizing that “code just isn’t custody” and that enforcement actions danger criminalizing open-source software program growth.
After months of exhausting work, now we have bipartisan textual content prepared for Thursday’s markup. I urge my Democrat colleagues: don’t retreat from our progress. The Digital Asset Market Readability Act will present the readability wanted to maintain innovation within the U.S. & defend customers. Let’s do that! pic.twitter.com/fuu5CIQa8X
— Senator Cynthia Lummis (@SenLummis) January 13, 2026
For this new committee, Selig pledged to supervise “the steadiness and safety of America’s commodity derivatives markets throughout this era of fast transformation” whereas guaranteeing improvements stay U.S.-based, stating, “Underneath my management, the CFTC will conquer these nice frontiers and make sure that the improvements of tomorrow are Made in America.“
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