CFTC Acting Chair shifts to the crypto payments sector, U.S. derivatives market collateral pilot program yields results

[BiTu] The acting chair of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), Caroline Pham, is about to leave her position. Her next move is to join the crypto payments company MoonPay as Chief Legal and Administrative Officer. In her new role, Pham will oversee the company’s global legal affairs and administrative operations, while also establishing and managing the policy and regulatory team in Washington, D.C.

This personnel change comes at the end of her nearly four-year term at the CFTC. Her successor, Mike Selig, is expected to be confirmed by the Senate this week. During her tenure, Pham championed several key pro-crypto policies — most notably, allowing spot crypto assets to be traded within the U.S. federal regulatory framework. Additionally, she pushed for a pilot program that permits Bitcoin, Ethereum, and USDC stablecoins to be used as qualified collateral in the U.S. derivatives trading market, which has had a substantial impact on liquidity and market depth across the ecosystem.

Pham’s transition from regulation to industry also reflects the increasingly close interaction between the crypto industry and policymakers.