(CFTC) The regulation of cryptocurrencies has become an increasingly relevant topic in recent years. To address these regulatory issues amid ever-changing regulations, V.C. firm Andreessen Horowitz invited a former head of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to join his group.
“As part of our larger effort to ensure we have a world-class system of support on policy and regulatory issues, I am pleased to announce that Brian Quintenz, a former commissioner for the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, has been appointed as an advisory partner in of the crypto group,” wrote Katie Haun, General Partner of Andreessen Horowitz, in an announcement on Thursday on the a16z website.
In the past year, there have been significant regulatory discussions in the United States and abroad. In December 2020, the U.S. Treasury Department aimed to step up oversight of self-hosted crypto-asset wallets. More recently, the U.S. infrastructure bill included conditions that could be significantly stressful for the burgeoning crypto space. Other countries have also taken various regulatory steps, reflected in measures against the digital asset exchange Binance.
Andreessen Horowitz seems to have recognized the current regulatory adjustment of the crypto industry and wants to support companies in his portfolio. “Our portfolio projects are innovative in a way that was previously unthinkable and therefore not only invest financially – we try to provide them with sufficient resources on the way to success,” said Haun in the article.
The CFTC and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission are two regulators often discussed when regulatory guidelines are related to cryptocurrencies. Explaining the importance of having a previous head of the regulator, Haun writes:
“The CFTC plays an essential role as the federal regulator with authority over digital currencies, utility tokens, and other non-security goods, and Brian has long been an innovative thinker in the crypto and DeFi space. He understands both how crypto technology works and how the CFTC thinks. His ability to translate between the two will be central to the success of the Crypto a16z policy program and our portfolio companies. “
Other former U.S. government cooperatives have joined various crypto-related entities, such as Jay Clayton, who previously headed the SEC as chairman.
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