Winklevoss Opposes Brian Quintenz's Appointment as CFTC Chairman…“Serious Conflict of Interest”

Tyler Winklevoss, who leads the cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, has strongly opposed the appointment of former U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) commissioner Brian Quintenz as chairman.

In an interview with The Block, Tyler Winklevoss said, "Quintenz is also unfit to lead the CFTC," adding, "His policy direction runs counter to the goals and direction advocated by President Trump and the Administration, and it also contradicts the philosophy of the decentralized crypto ecosystem."

President Donald Trump nominated Quintenz as CFTC chairman in February. At that time, the cryptocurrency industry expressed high expectations, based on the friendly attitude Quintenz showed during his previous tenure as commissioner. However, the situation changed rapidly as the White House recently asked the Senate Agriculture Committee to delay the vote on Quintenz's nomination. The committee was initially scheduled to vote on the appointment this Monday evening but suddenly canceled the plan. Although the exact reason was not disclosed, opposition within and outside the industry has reportedly been mounting.

The Block, citing an anonymous crypto industry source, said, "Quintenz has shown an anti-crypto attitude regarding coding and developer responsibilities. His bureaucratic career and support for central bank digital currencies (CBDC) are additional factors that are triggering backlash in the industry." Quintenz's roles at the venture capital firm a16z and as a board member of the prediction market platform Kalshi are also being pointed out as financial conflicts of interest.