Crypto lobby cross ranks in push for Quintenz as CFTC chair

Brian Quintenz has the backing of nearly every major digital asset trade group in Washington. Their coordinated push for his confirmation as the next CFTC chair is a direct response to whispered opposition and twice-cancelled committee votes.

On August 20, seven of the most influential digital asset lobbying groups sent a unified letter to President Donald Trump, urging him to break the political logjam stalling Brian Quintenz’s confirmation as Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

The signatories, a coalition spanning the Crypto Council for Innovation, Blockchain Association, DeFi Education Fund, The Digital Chamber, Satoshi Action Fund, Decentralization Research Center, and Solana Policy Institute, presented a rare, consolidated front.

Their core demand is for the White House to expedite a Senate confirmation process that has mysteriously stalled, with the Senate Agriculture Committee abruptly cancelling two scheduled votes last month.

A nomination in peril and a lobby in lockstep

The urgency behind this coordinated letter stems from a nomination process that has veered sharply off course. President Trump tapped Quintenz for the role earlier this year, a move initially met with broad industry approval given his well-regarded tenure as a CFTC commissioner from 2017 to 2021.

However, the path to confirmation has since been bumpy and largely disarrayed by opposition from influential industry figures. According to a July Politico report , Gemini founders Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss directly lobbied President Trump, arguing that Quintenz was not “aligned with” the administration’s agenda and urging the President to dump his nominee.

This behind-the-scenes campaign has created a stark divide, pitting the Winklevoss faction against the unified front of Washington’s premier advocacy organizations. In the face of this opposition, the seven groups have laid out a detailed case for Quintenz’s unique qualifications.

They point to his foundational work as chair of the CFTC’s Technology Advisory Committee, where he convened the most comprehensive set of public discussions on digital assets held by any federal regulator. It was under his watch that the agency greenlit the first U.S.-regulated Bitcoin and Ether futures contracts, a pivotal moment that brought institutional legitimacy to the asset class.

“Mr. Quintenz’s extensive experience and substantive and technical understanding of blockchains, digital assets, and financial markets makes him exceptionally well-suited to lead the CFTC at this critical juncture,” the letter read.

Call for a permanent CFTC chair

In the letter, the groups contend that installing a permanent chair is not a matter of bureaucratic box-ticking but a fundamental prerequisite for market stability and U.S. competitiveness. With the CFTC poised to assume a vastly expanded role overseeing digital asset commodities under pending legislation, the agency is currently leaderless and adrift.

A quartet of commissioners has either recently departed or announced plans to leave, creating a vacuum at the worst possible time. The lobby argues that only a confirmed chairman possesses the full authority to spearhead interagency collaboration, issue definitive guidance, and build a regulatory framework durable enough to stand the test of time.