FINRA Shakeup: Former CFTC Chairman and Former SEC Commissioner Join the Fray, Is the Crypto Regulation Wind Changing?

【BlockBeats】The US Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has recently taken significant action. On January 8th, they announced the addition of four new board members, two of whom are particularly prominent in the crypto policy circle—former CFTC Chairman Rostin Behnam and Robinhood’s Chief Legal Officer Dan Gallagher.

Why should we pay special attention to these two? Behnam’s activities over the years (2021 to early 2025) at the CFTC are all on display—pushing for a federal-level crypto regulatory framework and taking a tough stance on platforms like FTX. Gallagher has an even stronger background, being a former SEC commissioner, and he once trended on social media for criticizing the previous administration’s stance on crypto, even being nominated as SEC Chairman.

This FINRA appointment clearly indicates that the financial regulatory circle is starting to take digital assets seriously. The presence of these two can directly influence the rules for broker-dealers, and future compliance requirements and trading restrictions are likely to be adjusted accordingly. For exchanges and brokerages, understanding regulatory trends in advance is more important than anything else.