CFTC Names First 5 Members of Innovation Task Force

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission announced the first five members of its Innovation Task Force on April 10, 2025, in Washington, D.C., signaling a structured effort to develop regulatory guidance for emerging technologies including cryptocurrencies, artificial intelligence, and prediction markets.

The task force, launched earlier by CFTC Chairman Mike Selig on March 24, is led by Michael Passalacqua, a senior adviser to Selig. The initial members include Hank Balaban, a former cryptocurrency attorney at Latham & Watkins; Eugene Gonzalez IV, a blockchain and digital assets lawyer previously with Sidley Austin; Sam Canavos, a consultant on prediction markets and former adviser at Patomak Global Partners; Mark Fajfar, a veteran legal expert within the CFTC; and Dina Moussa, special counsel in the agency's Market Participants Division. This team combines internal regulatory knowledge with external industry experience to address complex issues at the intersection of finance and technology.

The group focuses on three key areas: digital assets and blockchain technologies, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems, and event contracts such as prediction markets....