CFTC hires SEC crypto task force adviser with blockchain forensics chops

The US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has hired a new chief data innovation officer with deep experience in blockchain forensics in what could be seen as the regulator's move toward greater focus on the technology.

In a Monday notice, CFTC Chair Michael Selig said that Donald Battle, an adviser to the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) crypto task force, would be the commission’s chief data innovation officer. Battle was appointed as an SEC crypto task force adviser in January 2025 with the incoming Trump administration, and previously worked as a blockchain data adviser for the CFTC and crypto enforcement specialist with the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network.

Source: CFTC

Selig cited Battle’s experience in “data science, blockchain forensics, programming interfaces, and cutting-edge AI solutions” among his reasons for his pick.

The appointment signaled the agency moving closer to addressing crypto regulation and enforcement at a time when Congress is seeking to overhaul the CFTC’s and SEC’s roles with a digital asset market structure bill, the CLARITY Act.

The CFTC chair remains the sole commissioner at the financial agency responsible for many aspects of digital asset regulation and enforcement. Under Selig, the CFTC has claimed exclusion jurisdiction over regulating prediction market platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket, resulting in many lawsuits against state-level authorities seeking to crack down on what they called illegal gambling.

Related: Kraken rolls out perpetual futures for US traders through CFTC-regulated venue

Public comment period opens for proposed CFTC framework on sports event contracts

The CFTC last week released a proposed rule that could distinguish sports event contracts offered on platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket from what it called “games of random chance,” referring to gambling. The public has 45 days to comment on the draft rule that could influence how the financial agency addresses regulation of sports events contracts and betting at the state and federal levels.

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