Michael Selig

Extracted Attributes

• Education

  Florida State University (BS); George Washington University Law School (JD)

• Full Name

  Michael S. Selig

• Preceded by

  Caroline Pham (Acting)

• Current Role

  16th Chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC)

• Nominated by

  Donald Trump

• Regulatory Focus

  Crypto regulation, AI in finance, market harmonization, and ending regulation-by-enforcement

Timeline

• Began serving as a law clerk for then-CFTC Commissioner J. Christopher Giancarlo. (Source: undefined)

  2014-01-01

• Joined Willkie Farr & Gallagher as a partner in the Asset Management Department and Digital Works Practice. (Source: undefined)

  2022-01-01

• Left private practice at Willkie Farr & Gallagher to join the SEC. (Source: undefined)

  2025-03-01

• Nominated by President Donald Trump to serve as the Chair of the CFTC. (Source: undefined)

  2025-10-27

• Testified before the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, & Forestry for his nomination hearing. (Source: undefined)

  2025-11-19

• Confirmed by the United States Senate as the 16th Chairman of the CFTC. (Source: undefined)

  2025-12-18

• Sworn in as the 16th Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. (Source: undefined)

  2025-12-22

Michael S. Selig

Michael S. Selig ( SEE-lig) is an American lawyer who has served as Chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) since December 22, 2025.

Web Search Results

• Michael Selig | Milken Institute

  Michael S. Selig is the sixteenth chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Prior to his leadership at the CFTC, Chairman Selig served as chief counsel of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Crypto Task Force and senior advisor to SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins. In this role, Chairman Selig helped to develop a clear regulatory framework for digital asset securities markets, harmonize the SEC and CFTC regulatory regimes, modernize the agency’s rules to reflect new and emerging technologies, and put an end to regulation by enforcement. Before government service, Chairman Selig was a partner at an international law firm, focusing on derivatives and securities regulatory matters. Chairman Selig earned his law degree from The George Washington University Law School. He received [...] Home Log in Image # Michael Selig Chairman, US Commodity Futures Trading Commission CONNECT <www.linkedin.com/in/MichaelSelig> <x.com/ChairmanSelig>

• Michael S. Selig - Wikipedia

  Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia ## Contents # Michael S. Selig | Michael Selig | | --- | | | | | | | | Chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission | | | Incumbent | | | Assumed office December 22, 2025 | | | President | Donald Trump | | Preceded by | Caroline Pham (acting) | | Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission | | | Incumbent | | | Assumed office December 22, 2025 | | | President | Donald Trump | | Preceded by | Christy Goldsmith Romero | | | | | Personal details | | | Education | Florida State University (BS) George Washington University (JD) | | | | Michael S. Selig (/ˈsiːlɪɡ/ SEE-lig) is an American lawyer who has served as Chair of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) since December 22, 2025. ## Early life and education [...] Selig worked as a law clerk for Commissioner J. Christopher Giancarlo at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission from 2014 to 2015. He was a partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher from 2022 to 2025, where he represented cryptocurrency industry clients including eToro and Paradigm "Paradigm (venture capital firm)"). In 2025, he became chief counsel for the cryptocurrency task force at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and a senior adviser to Chairman Paul S. Atkins. In October 2025, President Donald Trump nominated Selig to chair the CFTC, around a month after the White House rescinded its nomination of Brian Quintenz for the role. Selig was confirmed by the Senate on December 18, 2025 and sworn in on December 22. After his confirmation, the single remaining CFTC Commissioner, [...] ## Early life and education Selig earned an undergraduate degree from Florida State University. He attended law school at George Washington University Law School, during which time he was articles editor for The George Washington Law Review. ## Career

• Willkie Alum Michael Selig Confirmed as 16th CFTC Chairman

  Former Willkie partner Michael (Mike) Selig has been confirmed by the United States Senate as the sixteenth Chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). He succeeds Caroline Pham, who was designated Acting CFTC Chairman in January 2025. [...] Selig served as a partner at Willkie from 2022-2025 where he was a member of the Asset Management Department and Willkie Digital Works Practice, focusing on the intersection of financial regulations and crypto technologies. After leaving Willkie in March 2025, he has served as the Chief Counsel of the SEC’s Crypto Task Force. Earlier in his career, Mike worked as a law clerk for then-CFTC Commissioner J. Christopher Giancarlo, who went on to serve as CFTC Chairman, and is currently senior counsel at Willkie and Co-Chair of the Willkie Digital Works Practice. [...] Chris Giancarlo commented: “I’ve known Mike Selig for over a decade having worked with him at the CFTC and here at Willkie. Mike’s a tremendous lawyer, especially in matters of CFTC law and practice, including digital assets where his understanding of distributed ledger technology is unparalleled. Mike will bring balance and steadiness to his CFTC administration, while continuing the agency’s sound market supervision and proud tradition of cutting-edge innovation. Mike will be a great leader for this new era of digital market finance.”

• Michael Selig Confirmed as CFTC Chairman: Six Issues to Watch in ...

  Michael Selig was confirmed by the US Senate on Thursday, December 18, 2025, and he will soon be sworn in as the 16th Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Selig will assume leadership of the CFTC, which has been under the direction of Acting Chairman Caroline Pham for almost a year, the last few months of which Pham has been the sole Senate-confirmed official. [...] Selig is not new to the CFTC. He began his career in 2014 as a law clerk for then-CFTC Commissioner (and future Chairman) J. Christopher Giancarlo. Following his time with the CFTC, Selig moved into private practice, working at several global law firms. Selig’s practice focused on advising financial institutions, trading platforms and digital asset developers on compliance with securities and commodities laws. Selig returned to government in 2025 when he was appointed chief counsel for the Crypto Task Force of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), serving as senior advisor to SEC Chairman Paul Atkins. [...] 1. Hearings to Examine the Nomination of Michael Selig, of Florida, to Be a Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading: Hearing Before the S. Comm. on Agric., Nutrition, & Forestry, 119th Cong. (Nov. 19, 2025), (“Selig Senate Nomination Hearing”). 2. Id. 3. Id. 4. Commodity Futures Trading Comm’n, Acting Chairman Pham Announces Successful Completion of Enforcement Sprint, Press Release No. 9114-25 (Sept. 4, 2025), . 5. Commodity Futures Trading Comm’n, Acting Chairman Pham Lauds DOJ Policy Ending Regulation by Prosecution of Digital Assets Industry and Directs CFTC Staff to Comply with Executive Orders, Press Release No. 9063-25 (Apr. 8, 2025), .

• Michael Selig Sworn In as 16th CFTC Chairman

  Commodity Futures Trading Commission Logo rss icon red rss icon email icon red email icon facebook icon red facebook icon twitter icon red twitter icon youtube icon red youtube icon linkedin icon red linkedin icon flickr icon red flickr icon search icon ## Main navigation ## News & Events # Release Number 9164-25 # Michael Selig Sworn In as 16th CFTC Chairman December 22, 2025 WASHINGTON — Michael S. Selig was sworn in today to serve as the 16th Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Chairman Selig was nominated by President Donald J. Trump to the post on October 27, 2025, and confirmed by the U.S. Senate on December 18, 2025. [...] Prior to government service, Chairman Selig was a partner at an international law firm, focusing on derivatives and securities regulatory matters. During his years in private practice, he represented a broad range of clients subject to regulation by the CFTC, including commercial end users, futures commission merchants, commodity trading advisors, swap dealers, designated contract markets, derivatives clearing organizations, and digital asset firms. Chairman Selig advised clients on compliance with the Commodity Exchange Act and the CFTC’s rules and regulations thereunder, including in connection with registration applications and obligations, enforcement matters, and complex transactions. [...] Chairman Selig most recently served as chief counsel of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s Crypto Task Force and senior advisor to SEC Chairman Paul S. Atkins. In this role, Chairman Selig helped to develop a clear regulatory framework for digital asset securities markets, harmonize the SEC and CFTC regulatory regimes, modernize the agency’s rules to reflect new and emerging technologies, and put an end to regulation by enforcement. He also participated in the President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets and contributed to its report on “Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology.”