Miles Jennings has been appointed as head of policy at a16z Crypto. He succeeds Brian Quintenz, who was nominated to head the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Founding general partner Chris Dixon made the revelation on Tuesday, pointing out Jennings’s responsibilities in forming the firm’s policy position since 2021.
Excited to announce @milesjennings as head of policy for @a16zcrypto. Since 2021, he’s been shaping our policy views, and this role continues that work.
With @BrianQuintenz stepping away for his Senate confirmation as @CFTC Chair, we’re grateful for his leadership and excited…
— Chris Dixon (@cdixon) March 18, 2025
Jennings has served as the fund’s general counsel for more than three years and has a good track record of legal experience. Prior to his tenure at a16z Crypto, he was a partner at Latham & Watkins, specializing in regulation and compliance.
The leadership change comes at a time when crypto regulation is experiencing a rise in focus within Washington. Regulatory initiatives on stablecoins, market structure, and other aspects of the cryptocurrency industry have been under heavy focus with concurring discussions in Congress. The new legislation includes attempting to repeal a Biden-era crypto tax rule and probes into banks’ curbs on cryptocurrency companies.
Brian Quintenz, who spearheaded policy initiatives at a16z Crypto, is reportedly returning to public service. Trump nominated him to head the CFTC in February and has yet to be confirmed by the Senate. Quintenz was a commissioner at the derivatives regulator between 2017 and 2021 and played a crucial role in the release of bitcoin and ether futures contracts.
SEC and CFTC join forces on crypto regulation
The CFTC and the SEC have recently reopened their conversation on crypto regulation following the period of inactivity. Speaking at the Future of FinTech Symposium at Milken Institute, Acting Chair Caroline Pham positively noted that the agencies have resumed discussions at the staff level. She stressed that more emphasis should be placed on collective endeavors to draw guidelines for the new regulations.
“ We have worked together well in the past, and I look forward to getting back to regular order.”
Pham.
SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce echoed this sentiment, pointing out that jurisdiction needs to be defined and any overlap avoided. She said that users and investors should have a say in regulating issues that affect them. Peirce further noted that one of the significant tasks is to define the role of the SEC in regulating digital assets.
The CFTC also recently proposed a two-week grace period provided that the firms that have run into some compliance issues with the regulations would bring forward reasonable settlement offers. As Bloomberg reported, Pham clarified that fraud and market manipulation cases do not fit under the policy. Pierce further noted, “We are trying to move away from a regulation by enforcement approach and really bring policymaking back.”
The agency has taken a more significant role in regulating digital assets during Trump’s presidency, including oversight of Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETFs. The CFTC is also tracking the activity in the increasing trading market of crypto options this year.
Cryptopolitan Academy: Want to grow your money in 2025? Learn how to do it with DeFi in our upcoming webclass. Save Your Spot
