Crypto Reporter
Shalini Nagarajan
Crypto Reporter
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The US derivatives watchdog is bringing back a familiar face from Bitcoin’s first leap into regulated markets, as Amir Zaidi returns to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as chief of staff ahead of what Washington calls a pivotal year for crypto rules.
The CFTC said on Dec. 31 that Chairman Michael S. Selig appointed Zaidi to the role, after Zaidi spent nearly a decade at the agency before leaving for the private sector.
“Amir brings to this role deep experience both at the Commission and in the financial services world,” Selig said, linking Zaidi’s track record to the agency’s push to shape new rules for digital asset markets.
From Market Oversight Chief To Bitcoin Futures Architect
Zaidi worked at the CFTC from 2010 to 2019, and he most recently led the Division of Market Oversight, where the agency said he oversaw the certification and deployment of the first federally regulated crypto product, Bitcoin futures.
That moment traces back to late 2017, when the CFTC said CME and Cboe Futures Exchange self-certified new Bitcoin futures contracts, opening a path for US-listed trading days later.
After leaving government, Zaidi became global head of compliance at broker-dealer TP ICAP, a role the firm announced in 2019 after his tenure at the CFTC.
New Chief Of Staff Arrives As Policy Direction Shifts
“I am excited to return to the CFTC and thank Chairman Selig for appointing me to this important role,” Zaidi said, adding that he plans to help carry out the chairman’s pro innovation agenda as derivatives markets evolve.
Zaidi’s return lands days after Selig was sworn in as the 16th CFTC chairman, following a Trump nomination in October and Senate confirmation on Dec. 18.
Selig has framed the moment as a shift from regulation by enforcement toward clearer rules, and his agency has already moved deeper into crypto plumbing, including steps that have put regulated US venues closer to spot style crypto trading.
For crypto markets, the staffing move is another signal that the CFTC expects to sit near the centre of US market structure talks in 2026, with Selig pointing to digital asset legislation moving toward President Trump’s desk and a bigger push to keep crypto activity onshore.
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