Rostin Behnam, Chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), has announced his resignation, effective January 20.
His decision comes amid broader changes in financial regulatory leadership, following the recent departure of SEC Chairman Gary Gensler. Speculation has arisen about the direction of U.S. financial oversight, with Republican commissioners Summer Mersinger or Caroline Pham rumored as potential interim replacements for Behnam.
Behnam has been a vocal advocate for stronger cryptocurrency regulations, citing significant gaps in oversight as digital assets like Bitcoin gain popularity among retail and institutional investors. He warned that the lack of comprehensive regulation poses substantial risks, particularly as traditional financial institutions increasingly adopt these technologies.
During his tenure, Behnam solidified the CFTC’s role in the crypto market, spearheading initiatives like the $4.3 billion settlement with Binance, the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchange. His resignation leaves the agency at a pivotal moment as the U.S. grapples with the challenges of regulating a rapidly growing digital asset market.
With Behnam’s exit and crypto advocate Paul Atkins set to take over at the SEC, the regulatory landscape is poised for significant changes in how the U.S. approaches financial innovation and digital asset oversight.
BlackRock is ramping up its engagement with U.S. regulators, meeting with the SEC’s Crypto Task Force on May 9 to present its growing suite of digital asset products and to push forward conversations around the evolving regulatory landscape.
Defiance ETFs has proposed four innovative exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that focus on leveraged strategies targeting the price movements of Bitcoin, Ethereum, and gold.
Rootstock, a platform bridging smart contracts with Bitcoin, saw a significant increase in mining activity and network security during early 2025, despite a slowdown in overall usage.
Stripe, the global payments leader, has taken a major step into the world of stablecoins with the introduction of its new feature, Stablecoin Financial Accounts.