Aptos Labs CEO Takes Seat on CFTC’s Digital Assets Subcommittee – A Bullish Signal for Crypto Regulation?
The Aptos ecosystem just scored a regulatory power play—its CEO now holds a seat at the CFTC's Digital Assets Subcommittee table. Move over, legacy finance.
Why this matters
When layer-1 leaders get direct access to policymakers, it's not just symbolism—it's a backstage pass to shape the rules of the crypto game. The CFTC's subcommittee gains a builder who's actually shipped blockchain code.
The regulatory chessboard
This appointment drops as the SEC keeps playing whack-a-mole with crypto projects. Meanwhile, the CFTC's been quietly positioning itself as the more innovation-friendly regulator—smart jurisdictional arbitrage by the Aptos team.
Wall Street's watching
TradFi institutions still think they can 'wait out' crypto winter. Joke's on them—the smart money's infiltrating regulatory bodies instead. Nothing disrupts like a seat at the table where the rulebook gets written.
One cynical closer: Nothing makes bureaucrats move faster than seeing their next job opportunity sitting across the committee table.
Aptos Labs CEO Avery Ching Tapped For CFTC Subcommittee
According to the Monday X post, Ching has joined the CFTC Digital Assets Global Markets Advisory Committee (GMAC) Digital Assets Markets Subcommittee.
The United States of Aptos
Co-Founder & CEO of @AptosLabs, @AveryChing, joins the @CFTC GMAC Digital Asset Markets Subcommittee.
Avery will collaborate with other leaders from Web3 and financial services to help shape digital asset regulations. pic.twitter.com/3j3toG65Mg
According to the CFTC’s website, the subcommittee concerns itself with “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.”
“Avery will collaborate with other leaders from Web3 and financial services to help shape digital asset regulations,” the Monday social media post from Aptos Labs reads.
Other members of the subcommittee include Capitoliis CEO Gil Mandelzis, Cargill Global Derivatives Operations Director Samina Anwar, and Uniswap Labs Chief Operating Officer Mary-Catherine Lader.
CFTC Faces Staffing Shakeups
News of Ching’s CFTC placement comes as the federal regulator navigates changes to crypto regulation under the new Trump administration.
Four CFTC commissioners have decided to step down from their roles in recent months, with former commissioner Summer Mersinger leaving her position at the agency to begin her tenure as Blockchain Association CEO earlier this month.
“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,” Mersinger said in a June 2 X post.
“We need to capture this moment and push pro-crypto policy across the finish line,” she added.
Commissioner Caroline Pham is set to leave her position when Trump’s pick to lead the CFTC, Brian Quintenz, is appointed to his role, though a set date has yet to be confirmed.
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.
