CFTC's acting chief Pham poised to go to crypto firm MoonPay once Mike Selig lands
TL;DR
CFTC Acting Chairman Caroline Pham confirms she will join crypto firm MoonPay as chief legal/administrative officer once her replacement Mike Selig is confirmed and sworn in. Selig's Senate confirmation vote is scheduled, marking Pham's transition as her crypto initiatives launch.
Key Takeaways
- •Caroline Pham will leave the CFTC to become MoonPay's chief legal officer and chief administrative officer.
- •Her departure depends on Senate confirmation and swearing-in of her replacement, nominee Mike Selig.
- •Pham's crypto-friendly policy initiatives at the CFTC have recently launched as Selig's confirmation advances.
- •MoonPay recently obtained a New York trust charter and holds a BitLicense, focusing on crypto trading and payments.
- •Pham will oversee MoonPay's policy and regulatory strategy in Washington, though MoonPay isn't directly regulated by the CFTC.
What to know:
- Commodity Futures Trading Commission Acting Chairman Caroline Pham confirmed again that she's heading to crypto firm MoonPay when the Senate confirms her replacement and he's sworn in.
- President Donald Trump's CFTC chair nominee Mike Selig was set for a Senate vote Wednesday evening, according to that chamber's schedule.
- Selig, currently an SEC official, would arrive at the CFTC just as several of Pham's crypto initiatives have gone live.
- Commodity Futures Trading Commission Acting Chairman Caroline Pham confirmed again that she's heading to crypto firm MoonPay when the Senate confirms her replacement and he's sworn in.
- President Donald Trump's CFTC chair nominee Mike Selig was set for a Senate vote Wednesday evening, according to that chamber's schedule.
- Selig, currently an SEC official, would arrive at the CFTC just as several of Pham's crypto initiatives have gone live.
With an any-minute-now confirmation of Mike Selig to take over the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, its stand-in chief, Caroline Pham, is closer to her longstanding plan to jump to crypto firm MoonPay.
As CoinDesk reported last month, Pham was said to be planning to take on the role of chief legal officer and chief administrative officer at the company, a financial technology company focused on crypto, which just obtained a New York trust charter last month. It's a path further confirmed by the company on Wednesday, including a statement from Pham acknowledging her transition once she's replaced by President Donald Trump's nominee, Selig.
“I’m excited to join MoonPay at a pivotal moment,” said Pham, in an unusual career note emerging before the regulator's departure. Pham also posted on the social media site X on Wednesday that once Selig is sworn in, she's looking forward to "a smooth transition."
"The future is bright," she said.
The former managing director at Citigroup has led an aggressive agenda pushing crypto-friendly policy, which has come to a head with several new initiatives established in the past few weeks, just as Selig's confirmation process advanced in the Senate. He's expected to be approved as part of a massive package of nominees in a vote currently scheduled for Wednesday evening.
Selig is an official at the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, where he has helped with the agency's work on crypto policy.
“Caroline is one of the most influential leaders in U.S. financial regulation, helping define the future of digital assets,” said Ivan Soto-Wright, co-founder and CEO of MoonPay, in a statement that called her the "perfect leader to guide MoonPay through our next chapter of growth and compliance excellence.”
At the company, which also holds a New York BitLicense and handles crypto trading, payments, and stablecoin infrastructure, Pham will oversee its policy and regulatory strategy in Washington. It's not directly regulated by the CFTC.
Read more: Most Influential: Caroline Pham
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