Chris Giancarlo, the former head of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, is stepping away from his legal career to become a full-time adviser to cryptocurrency firms.
Giancarlo—often dubbed “Crypto Dad” for his pro-crypto stance—announced on X that he is leaving Willkie Farr & Gallagher and retiring from law to focus on advising companies in the crypto and fintech sectors.
“From here on, I’ll devote my time to advising founders and builders of fintech and digital assets, along with their CEOs and boards, while continuing research, policy writing, and nonprofit work,” he said.
Giancarlo was appointed as a commissioner at the CFTC in 2014 under Barack Obama, before being nominated by Donald Trump to serve as chairman—a role he held from August 2017 to July 2018.
During his tenure, he oversaw the launch of the first Bitcoin futures markets in the United States and earned his “Crypto Dad” nickname for his early support of the industry and push for clearer regulation.
Chris Giancarlo has remained active in crypto policy discussions and currently advises Sygnum, helping the firm navigate global regulations and develop strategic partnerships.
In early March, Giancarlo appeared on Scott Melker’s “The Wolf of All Streets” podcast, where he downplayed concerns that key legislative efforts such as the CLARITY Act may stall in Congress. He argued that regulators like the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission could still move forward with rulemaking to provide clarity for the industry.
However, he acknowledged that regulatory uncertainty could discourage banks from expanding further into the sector, stressing the need to embrace emerging technologies.
“I think there’s a recognition that this is the new architecture of finance, and America—our financial institutions are the world’s dominant ones—needs to modernize. We need to adopt this technology,” he said.
Giancarlo is not alone in transitioning from public service to the crypto industry. In December, Caroline Pham stepped down from the CFTC to become chief legal officer at crypto firm MoonPay.
