Aptos Labs CEO Avery Ching Joins CFTC Digital Assets Subcommittee

Aptos Labs CEO Avery Ching has been appointed to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s (CFTC) Digital Assets Global Markets Advisory Committee (GMAC) Digital Assets Markets Subcommittee. This appointment was announced on June 30 through a post on the blockchain technology company’s official account. The subcommittee focuses on issues that affect the integrity and competitiveness of U.S. markets and U.S. firms engaged in global business, including the regulatory challenges of a global marketplace.

Ching will collaborate with other leaders from Web3 and financial services to help shape digital asset regulations. The subcommittee includes notable members such as Capitoliis CEO Gil Mandelzis, Cargill Global Derivatives Operations Director Samina Anwar, and Uniswap Labs Chief Operating Officer Mary-Catherine Lader. This move positions Ching among a growing cohort of industry leaders helping shape federal policy on blockchain and global markets.

This appointment comes at a time when the CFTC is navigating changes to crypto regulation under the new administration. Four CFTC commissioners have decided to step down from their roles in recent months, including former commissioner Summer Mersinger, who left her position to begin her tenure as Blockchain Association CEO. Mersinger highlighted the growing support for digital assets within the government, stating, “There’s a growing crypto caucus in Congress, we have an executive branch that sees the inherent benefits of digital assets, and our regulatory agencies have turned the page from antagonism to collaboration.”

Commissioner Caroline Pham is also set to leave her position when Trump’s pick to lead the CFTC, Brian Quintenz, is appointed to his role. Quintenz previously spearheaded the CFTC from August 2017 through August 2021, with now former commissioner Kristin M. Johnson taking over his role in March 2022. The regulatory landscape for digital assets is evolving, and Ching’s appointment to the CFTC subcommittee is a significant step in shaping the future of digital asset regulations in the United States.