CFTC Chair Selig Launches ‘Future-Proof’ Initiative

U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Mike Selig posted an op-ed on Tuesday outlining an aggressive push to modernize U.S. financial regulation, pledging to move away from what he called years of “regulation by enforcement” and toward clear, tailored rules for digital assets, prediction markets and other emerging technologies.

In a policy statement and accompanying opinion piece, Selig framed the effort as a pivotal moment for American financial markets, arguing that advances in blockchain and artificial intelligence are enabling entirely new products, platforms and business models that legacy regulations were never designed to oversee.

“Advances in technology are transforming the financial services landscape as we know it,” Selig said, adding that Congress is now “on the cusp” of passing the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, which would establish a formal market structure for crypto in the United States.

If enacted, the legislation would expand the CFTC’s authority over digital asset markets, positioning the agency as a primary regulator for large segments of the crypto economy. 

Selig said the CFTC is prepared to take on that role and ensure innovation remains onshore rather than being driven overseas by regulatory uncertainty.

CFTC’s ‘Future-Proof’ Initiative 

The chairman announced the launch of a new “Future-Proof” initiative, under which agency staff will conduct a comprehensive review of existing CFTC rules — many of which were originally written for agricultural futures markets — to determine which should be updated or replaced to better accommodate new asset classes and trading venues.

“Decades-old rules designed for pork bellies and wheat futures do not contemplate blockchain-native markets that trade 24/7,” Selig said. “The CFTC must meet innovators where they are.”

Selig drew a sharp contrast with the Biden administration’s approach, criticizing prior regulators for applying legacy rules to novel products such as digital assets and perpetual futures through enforcement actions rather than formal rulemaking. 

That strategy, he argued, pushed startups offshore and limited access for U.S. market participants.

Under the new approach, Selig said the agency will focus on “the minimum effective dose of regulation” — rules that protect against fraud, manipulation and abuse without stifling experimentation. Future policy, he added, should be established through notice-and-comment rulemaking to provide durability across administrations.

The chairman also highlighted rapid growth in areas such as prediction markets and digital assets, noting that crypto has expanded from a niche experiment into a market exceeding $3 trillion in value. These developments, he said, require regulatory frameworks that are purpose-built rather than retrofitted.

“Anyone with a smartphone and an internet connection can now access peer-to-peer markets that operate around the clock,” Selig said, pointing to both blockchain-based platforms and the increasing use of artificial intelligence in risk management and trading strategies.

Selig credited President Donald Trump’s broader regulatory agenda for creating the conditions for what he described as a potential “golden age” of American financial markets. He said coordination among financial regulators will be critical as new legislation reshapes oversight of digital assets.

“If Congress passes market structure legislation and hands us the torch, we will ensure these markets flourish at home,” Selig said. “The great innovations of today and tomorrow should be made in America.”