Brian Quintenz No Longer in CFTC Chair Running

• Multiple reports came out late yesterday that Brian Quintenz is no longer being considered for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission
• Quintenz was President Donald J. Trump’s nominee to chair the commission
• New candidates started to emerge for the position since the summer

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The rumors have become truths, as Brian Quintenz is no longer being considered to chair the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

Quintenz, the presidential nominee to chair the commission, seemed to be in line for the position but had his nomination vote delayed several times in the Senate over the summer. Rumors started to swirl that his nomination was being reconsidered and additional candidates were being considered.

These proved true, as Quintenz confirmed to several reporters yesterday that his nomination is now off the table. POLITICO was the first to report the news.

Who Will Lead the CFTC?

President Donald Trump (R) nominated Quintenz for the position in February. Quintenz is a former CFTC commissioner who currently sits on the board of Kalshi.

However, according to POLITICO, crypto billionaires Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss told President Trump in a July call that Quintenz’s view for the CFTC did not align with the president’s agenda.

“Being nominated to chair the CFTC and going through the confirmation process was the honor of my life,” Quintenz said in a message to POLITICO. “I am grateful to the President for that opportunity and to the Senate Agriculture Committee for its consideration. I look forward to returning to my private sector endeavors during this exciting time for innovation in our country.”

“Being nominated to chair the CFTC and going through the confirmation process was the honor of my life,” Brian Quintenz told @declanharty, shortly after the White House pulled his nomination.

“I am grateful to the President for that opportunity and to the Senate Agriculture…

— Meredith Lee Hill (@meredithllee) September 30, 2025

It was reported by Bloomberg last week that the White House is now considering two new candidates with crypto experience as potential nominations for the position. One is Michael Selig, chief counsel to the Securities and Exchange Commission’s crypto task force. Selig previously was a partner in Willkie Farr & Gallagher’s asset management practice.

Another potential candidate is Tyler Williams, counselor to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on digital asset policy. Williams joined the treasury from Galaxy Digital, a digital assets investment company.

Delays for Quintenz’s nomination started in the summer. The Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry was scheduled to vote on his nomination in late July, but the vote was delayed and never rescheduled.

Typically, at full capacity the CFTC has five commissioners, but at the moment the commission is in a state of flux. Acting Chair Caroline Pham has noted she will step down when Quintenz, or the new chair, arrives. Commissioners Christy Goldsmith Romero and Summer Mersinger both left the CFTC in May, while Kristin Johnson will leave later this year.

Additionally, former full-time chair Rostin Behnam left the CFTC in February.

CFTC Has Big Say in Sports Event Contracts

Whoever heads the CFTC will have an immediate impact on the way the prediction markets, and especially sports event contracts, are regulated.

Quintenz made it fairly clear during an early June hearing the CFTC will continue to allow brokers to offer sports event contracts to customers, unless directed by Congress or the courts to prohibit the contracts.

It is unclear how the new nominees would potentially regulate sports event contracts.

Brokerages offerings sports event contracts have long maintained that prediction markets can only be regulated by the CFTC and states have no say in their offerings. Kalshi CEO Tarek Mansour and Kalshi officials have noted their sports event contracts differentiate from traditional sports betting as they are not played “against the house,” but traded between users who purchase contracts on either side of an outcome.

State gaming regulators maintain the markets need to be beholden to regulations, taxes, and license fees that sports betting and gaming operators are required to follow.