Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Commissioner Summer Mersinger is leaving the agency to lead the Blockchain Association, the crypto trade group announced Wednesday.
Mersinger, who has spent the last three years at the agency, will take over as CEO of the Blockchain Association as its longtime CEO Kristin Smith leaves to head up a new crypto nonprofit.
“We are absolutely thrilled to welcome Commissioner Mersinger as Blockchain Association’s new CEO,” said Marta Belcher, president of the board of Blockchain Association, in a statement
“This is a pivotal moment for crypto policy, and we are confident that she is the ideal leader to take Blockchain Association, and the industry, to new heights,” Belcher added.
Mersinger’s last day at the CFTC will be May 30, and she will start her new role at the Blockchain Association on June 2.
Smith, who departs the crypto trade group for the Solana Policy Institute on May 16, touted the commissioner Wednesday.
“With 20+ years of experience across both chambers of Congress and the CFTC, she’ll play a key role in our industry’s future. @BlockchainAssn is in excellent hands,” Smith said in a post on the social platform X.
The CFTC is one of two agencies tasked with regulating the crypto industry, alongside the Securities and Exchange Commission. However, unlike its counterpart, the CFTC has maintained a more amicable relationship with the industry in recent years.
Mersinger was initially considered a contender to lead the agency in the early days of the Trump administration. However, President Trump ultimately tapped Brian Quintenz, a former CFTC commissioner and Andreessen Horowitz crypto’s head of policy, for the role.
The transition at the Blockchain Association comes at a key moment for the crypto industry, as it gains new momentum with the support of the Trump administration and Republican leaders in Congress.
However, progress on key crypto legislation has faltered in recent days. Democrats blocked the Senate from moving forward with consideration a stablecoin bill last week amid a dispute with Republicans over negotiations.
House Democrats separately walked out a hearing on market structure legislation last week, citing concerns with Trump and his family’s growing crypto portfolio.
