12.18.2025

CFTC Acting Chairman Pham to Join MoonPay

12.18.2025
CFTC Acting Chairman Pham to Join MoonPay

MoonPay, the global leader in crypto payments, announced the appointment of Caroline D. Pham as Chief Legal Officer and Chief Administrative Officer. Pham will join the company following the conclusion of her role as Acting Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), where she oversaw a pivotal year of market modernization, regulatory innovation, and groundbreaking digital asset policy.

Pham is an internationally recognized authority on financial market structure, derivatives, and emerging technology. She was unanimously elected Acting Chairman of the CFTC in January 2025, having previously been sworn in as a Commissioner in 2022. During her tenure, she championed some of the most significant advancements in U.S. digital asset oversight, including her proposal for a CFTC Digital Asset Markets Pilot Program, a first-of-its-kind regulatory sandbox designed to foster responsible innovation which was launched on December 8, 2025.

“I’m excited to join MoonPay at a pivotal moment,” said Caroline D. Pham, Acting Chairman of the CFTC.

At MoonPay, Pham will oversee all global legal and administrative functions, while also leading the company’s policy and regulatory strategy in Washington, D.C.

“Caroline is one of the most influential leaders in U.S. financial regulation, helping define the future of digital assets,” said Ivan Soto-Wright, co-founder and CEO of MoonPay. “Her unparalleled experience, which combines regulatory expertise, traditional finance, and a deep understanding of market structure, makes her the perfect leader to guide MoonPay through our next chapter of growth and compliance excellence.”

In her first 100 days as Acting Chairman, Pham introduced a modernization agenda from perpetual-style futures and 24/7 and extended-hours trading, to prediction markets and the CFTC’s 12-month Crypto Sprint. She also issued guidance on tokenized collateral, helping lay groundwork for safer, more efficient clearing and settlement in digital-asset markets. On December 4, Pham announced that listed spot crypto products will trade for the first time in U.S. federally regulated markets through CFTC-registered futures exchanges, a landmark moment aligned with the Trump Administration’s commitment to make the U.S. the “crypto capital of the world.”

Prior to serving as Commissioner, Pham was a Managing Director at Citigroup, where she held multiple leadership roles including Head of Market Structure for Strategic Initiatives.

MoonPay continues to set the standard for compliance, regulation, and governance in the digital asset ecosystem. The company was an inaugural participant in the CFTC’s CEO Forum, which convened key leadership from across the industry to discuss the launch of the CFTC’s Digital Asset Markets Pilot Program earlier this year. In the second half of 2025, MoonPay secured both its New York BitLicense and New York Limited Purpose Trust Charter, joining a select group of digital asset companies that have achieved both regulatory milestones.

Source: MoonPay

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Citadel Securities told the SEC that trading tokenized equities should remain under existing market rules, a position that drew responses from various crypto industry groups. @ShannyBasar for @MarketsMedia:

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