On 22 December 2025, Michael S. Selig was formally sworn in as the 16th Chairman of the United States Commodity Futures Trading Commission, for United States commodity, derivatives, and digital asset regulation. Chairman Selig was nominated by Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, on 27 October 2025, and subsequently confirmed by the United States Senate on 18 December 2025.
Addressing the assumption of office, Michael S. Selig, Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, stated: “I’m grateful for the confidence President Donald J. Trump has placed in me and for the opportunity to lead the CFTC at this pivotal time. Today begins a new chapter for the CFTC. We are at a unique moment as a wide range of novel technologies, products, and platforms are emerging, retail participation in the commodity markets is at an all-time high, and Congress is poised to send digital asset market structure legislation to the President’s desk, cementing the U.S. as the Crypto Capital of the World. I welcome the vital responsibility to oversee the stability and security of America’s commodity derivatives markets during this period of rapid transformation. No agency is better suited to pioneer commonsense rules of the road for the new financial markets of America’s Golden Age than the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Under my leadership, the CFTC will conquer these great frontiers and ensure that the innovations of tomorrow are Made in America.”
Chairman Selig assumes office with extensive experience spanning public service and private practice, having worked closely with stakeholders across agriculture, energy, financial services, and digital asset sectors that rely on and operate within Commodity Futures Trading Commission regulated markets.
Immediately prior to his appointment, Chairman Selig served as Chief Counsel of the United States Securities and Exchange Commission Crypto Task Force and as Senior Advisor to Paul S. Atkins, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. In that capacity, he played a central role in shaping a clearer regulatory framework for digital asset securities markets, advancing harmonisation between Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission oversight, modernising regulatory approaches to reflect emerging technologies, and moving decisively away from regulation by enforcement. He also contributed to the President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets and to its report titled “Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology.”
Before entering government service, Chairman Selig was a partner at an international law firm, where he advised on derivatives and securities regulatory matters. His private practice experience included representing commercial end users, futures commission merchants, commodity trading advisors, swap dealers, designated contract markets, derivatives clearing organisations, and digital asset firms. His advisory work covered compliance under the Commodity Exchange Act and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s implementing regulations, including registration, enforcement proceedings, and complex cross-market transactions.
Michael S. Selig earned his Juris Doctor degree from The George Washington University Law School, where he served as Articles Editor of The George Washington Law Review. He completed his undergraduate education at Florida State University.
(Source: https://www.cftc.gov/PressRoom/PressReleases/9164-25)
