CFTC Welcomes New Chief of Staff: What is the background of this veteran financial regulator

【Chain Wen】Chairman Mike Selig of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) recently announced an important personnel appointment—Amir Zaidi will serve as the Chief of Staff at the CFTC. What does this mean? Simply put, this guy is a veteran in the U.S. cryptocurrency regulation field.

From 2010 to 2019, Zaidi spent nearly a decade at the CFTC, holding several key positions, with the head of the Market Regulation Department being one of his most critical roles. He has a notable achievement—under his supervision, Bitcoin futures contracts received federal certification and were successfully launched. This was the first cryptocurrency product to be federally regulated in the U.S., which is highly significant.

After leaving the CFTC, Zaidi worked as the global compliance officer at major brokerage firms and introducing brokers, gaining deep knowledge of international financial regulations and risk management. Prior to that, he worked in various financial, legal, and regulatory roles in New York and Washington, accumulating decades of experience in financial services.

His return to the CFTC to some extent reflects the U.S. regulatory agency’s increased focus on the cryptocurrency market. Having such an experienced veteran leading parts of the regulation should bring valuable professional insights to policy making in the industry.