MoonPay Hires CFTC Acting Chair Caroline Pham as Chief Legal Officer

Source: CryptoTale Original Title: MoonPay Hires Acting CFTC Chair Caroline Pham as Legal Chief Original Link:

Background

MoonPay has appointed CFTC Acting Chair Caroline D. Pham as its Chief Legal Officer and Chief Administrative Officer. Pham will assume the role after completing her tenure at the U.S. derivatives regulator, marking a significant move as Washington reshapes its approach to digital asset oversight.

Pham’s New Role at MoonPay

Pham will oversee MoonPay’s global legal and administrative operations, leading the company’s policy and regulatory engagement efforts. The appointment was confirmed by MoonPay on Tuesday, framed as a milestone in the company’s growth and compliance roadmap.

MoonPay is a crypto payments platform that enables users to buy and sell digital assets using traditional payment methods including credit cards, bank transfers, and peer payment apps. The company has processed over $8 billion in transactions and serves more than 30 million users across 180+ countries. Notable partners include Shopify and Polymarket.

Pham’s CFTC Leadership

Pham became Acting Chairman of the CFTC in January 2025, having served as a commissioner since 2022. Her tenure was marked by significant crypto policy initiatives:

• Launched reforms on extended-hours trading and perpetual-style futures within her first 100 days
• Introduced the CFTC Digital Asset Markets Pilot Program (launched December 8, 2025), a regulatory sandbox for testing digital asset products
• Announced landmark access for spot crypto products to federally regulated U.S. trading venues, allowing trading through CFTC-registered futures exchanges
• Issued guidance on tokenized collateral to improve clearing and settlement efficiency

These efforts signaled a structural shift toward modernization and innovation at the regulator.

Industry Trend

Pham’s move reflects a broader pattern of senior regulators transitioning to the crypto sector. Recent similar moves include former CFTC commissioner Summer Mersinger joining the Blockchain Association and former White House crypto advisor Bo Hines joining stablecoin issuer Tether, reflecting strengthening ties between regulatory bodies and the crypto industry.