Commodity Futures Trading Commission Chairman Michael S. Selig launched the Innovation Advisory Committee to gather expertise and recommendations on innovation in financial markets. The IAC has been renamed from the former Technology Advisory Committee. The body will include a balance of viewpoints representing the financial industry, regulatory bodies, financial technology providers, public interest groups, academia, and market infrastructure firms.

Chairman Selig will sponsor this committee and intends to nominate the CEO Innovation Council participants as its charter members. Selig is also seeking nominations for additional IAC membership. Submissions must be received by January 31, 2026.

“A wide range of novel technologies are enabling the creation of entirely new products, platforms, and businesses and transforming the financial markets landscape,” Chairman Selig said. “Innovators are harnessing technologies such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and cloud computing to modernize legacy financial systems and build entirely new ones. Under my leadership, the Commission will develop fit-for-purpose market structure regulations for this new frontier of finance. The Innovation Advisory Committee will play a critical role in advising the Commission on the commercial, economic, and practical considerations of emerging products, platforms, and business models in the financial markets so that it can develop clear rules of the road for the Golden Age of American Financial Markets.”

The IAC’s charter states: The IAC’s objectives and scope of activities shall be to provide advice and recommendations to the Commission. The IAC will assist the Commission in identifying and understanding and by providing advice on the impact and implications of technological innovation in the financial services, derivatives, and commodity markets. The IAC will provide advice on the application and utilization of new technologies in financial services, derivatives, and commodity markets, as well as by market professionals and market users. The IAC may further provide advice to the Commission on the appropriate level of investment in technology at the Commission to meet its surveillance and enforcement responsibilities, and inform the Commission’s consideration of technology-related issues to support the Commission’s mission of ensuring the integrity of the markets and achievement of other public interest objectives.

The public is invited to nominate individuals for the IAC and propose potential topics to prioritize. Each nomination submission should include relevant information about the nominee, such as the individual’s name, title, and organizational affiliation as well as information that supports the individual’s qualifications for selection. The submission should also include suggestions for potential topics to prioritize as well as the name and email or mailing address of the person nominating the individual. IAC Nominations and topic suggestions should be IAC@CFTC.gov by January 31, 2026. Submission of a nomination is not a guarantee of selection.

Source: CFTC