CFTC’s Christy Goldsmith Romero to Leave Agency at End of Month

Christy Goldsmith Romero, one of the four commissioners at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, will depart the federal regulator at the end of the month, she announced Friday.

Goldsmith Romero joins fellow Commissioner Summer Mersinger, who announced earlier this week that she would leave on May 30 after being named the next CEO of the Blockchain Association, a Washington, D.C.-based lobbying group for the crypto industry.

In a statement, Goldsmith Romero said that derivatives markets, which the agency oversees, “experienced significant growth while remaining resilient and financially stable through times of market stress and volatility” during her time on the Commission.

“I wish to also recognize the members of the CFTC Technology Advisory Committee, which I sponsored, for their landmark reports and public forums on future of finance issues,” she said. “… Under my sponsorship, TAC released landmark reports on Responsible AI in Financial Markets and on Decentralized Finance, and sponsored public forums on AI, cybersecurity, blockchain, digital identity and digital assets.”

Acting Chairman Caroline Pham is also set to leave soon, CoinDesk reported earlier this week. Pham has told people she would leave after former Commissioner Brian Quintenz, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the agency, is confirmed by the Senate.

Goldsmith Romero had previously announced her departure from the CFTC, also tying it to Quintenz’s confirmation. However, the Senate Agriculture Committee has not yet scheduled a confirmation hearing for Quintenz. After that hearing, the committee would need to schedule a vote. Quintenz would then need to be confirmed by a majority of the full Senate, and only then would he be sworn in.

Goldsmith Romero’s departure on May 31 will leave the CFTC with just two commissioners, and that number will likely remain static after Quintenz’s confirmation until Trump nominates up to three more commissioners (two Republicans and a Democrat) to fill the empty seats.