CFTC Chair Behnam Announces His Departure on Inauguration Day

Key Points:

CFTC Chair Rostin Behnam has declared January 20 as his last day in position.
He will leave the office concurrently with Gary Gensler, the SEC Chair, creating two significant vacancies in U.S. market regulation.

Departure Announcement

With a formal departure announcement from U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Rostin Behnam, January 20 is now the official last day for both heads of U.S. market regulators.

Behnam's exit aligns with the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, allowing the new administration to fill these key roles.

“We welcome new opportunities to modernize and build capabilities, and with the support of Congress, incorporate innovations shaping our markets,” Behnam stated.
“The CFTC under my leadership responsibly engaged new entrants to support innovation.”

He is stepping down just before a likely transition to regulating crypto spot markets, including bitcoin trading. The agency will play a critical role in establishing regulations for the crypto sector.

Despite some credit from the crypto community for being more forgiving than the SEC, the CFTC has also been responsible for substantial enforcement actions against digital asset firms.