Caroline Pham to Join MoonPay as CFTC Acting Chair Transition Occurs

Caroline Pham, the Acting Chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), is set to leave her position in the public sector to join the crypto payments company MoonPay. Her departure will coincide with the Senate's confirmation of her successor, Mike Selig. This transition highlights a continuing trend of regulatory figures moving into the cryptocurrency industry.

Key Takeaways

Transition to MoonPay: Caroline Pham will become Chief Legal Officer and Chief Administrative Officer at MoonPay after Mike Selig is confirmed as her successor.
CFTC Contributions: During her four-year tenure at the CFTC, Pham championed various digital asset initiatives, including the “crypto sprint” and a regulatory sandbox for digital assets.
MoonPay Expansion: Pham’s new role comes as MoonPay grows its enterprise stablecoin business, partnering with Exodus to launch a US dollar-backed stablecoin.

CFTC Caroline Pham MoonPay

Caroline Pham’s Contributions at the CFTC

Caroline Pham has dedicated four years to the CFTC, with the last year serving as the acting chair. Before her role as Commissioner, she worked as a Managing Director at Citigroup, focusing on strategic market structure initiatives.

At the CFTC, Pham was instrumental in promoting regulatory innovation and developing progressive policies for digital assets. She actively supported the pro-crypto agenda outlined in President Trump’s executive orders and initiated the “crypto sprint” to accelerate progress in the sector, working concurrently with the SEC’s “Project Crypto.”

Recently, she introduced a new initiative focused on prediction markets, seeking nominations to lead this CFTC branch. Furthermore, her proposal for a regulatory sandbox—called the CFTC Digital Asset Markets Pilot Program—allows Bitcoin, Ether, and USDC to function as collateral within derivatives markets. This initiative was launched on December 8 and included guidance on utilizing tokenized collateral.

Mike Selig, who is poised for confirmation by the Senate this week, will take over Pham's role. Her shift to the private sector is similar to that of other former regulatory officials, including Bo Hines, who transitioned to Tether, and Summer Mersinger, who became chief executive of the Blockchain Association.

MoonPay’s New Chapter with Caroline Pham

In a recent announcement, MoonPay revealed the appointment of Caroline Pham as their Chief Legal Officer and Chief Administrative Officer. In her new position, she will oversee the firm's legal and administrative operations while also steering its policy and regulatory strategies in Washington.

"I'm thrilled to take on this role at a crucial time in the company’s journey," noted Pham.

Her transition to MoonPay aligns with the firm’s strategy to grow its enterprise stablecoin segment. MoonPay is currently working with Exodus to introduce a US dollar-backed stablecoin aimed at everyday transactions, marking an exciting phase of expansion for the company.