CFTC Hosts Crypto Roundtables: Pham Aims to Boost US Competitiveness

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has announced plans to host a series of public roundtable discussions to gather input on various market issues, including those related to crypto. The roundtables aim to engage with industry leaders, market participants, and public interest groups to discuss developing trends and innovations in market structure.

The CFTC roundtables will cover a range of topics, including affiliated entities and conflicts of interest, prediction markets, and digital assets. The goal is to increase transparency and public engagement within the CFTC’s policymaking process. Caroline Pham, the Acting Chair of the CFTC, stated that the roundtables will help establish clear rules of the road and safeguards that will promote US economic growth and American competitiveness.

These discussions will bring together industry leaders, market participants, market structure experts, and representatives from public interest groups. The CFTC will soon provide further details regarding the dates, times, and specific topics for these roundtable discussions.

Less than a week ago, CFTC commissioners elected Pham as the regulator’s newest acting chair following President Trump’s inauguration. Previously, Pham had served as CFTC commissioner since April 2022. Pham replaced former CFTC Chair Rostin Benham, who will remain at the CFTC until February 7. As confirmed by the Senate, she will continue to lead the CFTC until Trump nominates a permanent head of the regulator.

Pham has long supported friendly regulation. A year after joining the CFTC, she delivered a very pro-crypto speech to the Cato Institute. In it, she outlined that the CFTC should follow the same regulatory approach to the cryptocurrency market that it has applied to other emerging asset classes. According to Pham, crypto regulation lacks clarity and proactive guardrails. She also discussed the need for “responsible innovation” and a “compliant” digital asset market.

In the US, regulations for digital assets are divided between two primary agencies: the CFTC and the SEC. The CFTC’s jurisdiction primarily extends to crypto assets classified as commodities under US law, including cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. The commissioner’s regulatory authority specifically encompasses commodity derivatives, which include financial contracts derived from underlying commodities. Its responsibilities include crypto futures contracts and options, which are derivatives based on the price of cryptocurrencies.

Earlier this month, reports suggested that the regulator was