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CFTC Opens Door to Spot Crypto Trading on Regulated Exchanges

By Jeffry M. Henderson, William Mack & Douglas E. Arend on December 8, 2025
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Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Acting Chairman Caroline Pham, currently the only CFTC Commissioner of the five-member commission, announced on Dec. 4, 2025, that spot trading in cryptocurrency products will be available on CFTC-regulated exchanges for the first time.

Although CFTC focuses primarily on regulating futures contracts, derivatives, and swaps, the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA) also confers jurisdiction on retail spot market commodity transactions offered or entered into on a financed, leveraged, or margined basis. Under the CEA, such transactions must be conducted on a CFTC-regulated exchange.

Acting Chairman Pham’s announcement did not specify which cryptocurrencies would be available on exchange-traded markets. Media reports indicate that the first exchange on which spot crypto trading will be offered is Bitnomial Exchange, LLC. The resulting spot crypto trades will be cleared through Bitnomial Clearinghouse, LLC.

Acting Chairman Pham said that spot crypto trading on CFTC-registered exchanges “implements recommendations from the President’s Working Group on Digital Asset Markets.”

Photo of Jeffry M. Henderson Jeffry M. Henderson

Jeff Henderson, a former general counsel for a publicly traded futures commission merchant, has deep futures and derivatives industry experience. He focuses his practice on a variety of complex compliance, regulatory, investigation, litigation, and managed fund matters. This representation regularly involves futures, derivatives…

Jeff Henderson, a former general counsel for a publicly traded futures commission merchant, has deep futures and derivatives industry experience. He focuses his practice on a variety of complex compliance, regulatory, investigation, litigation, and managed fund matters. This representation regularly involves futures, derivatives, swaps, forex, securities, cryptocurrency, binary options and prediction markets. He represents and advises a broad range of clients, including futures commission merchants, broker-dealers, investment advisers, commodity trading advisers, introducing brokers, forex trading firms, commodity pool operators, and hedge fund managers. He also provides counsel to a variety of industry participants, including traditional proprietary trading firms and exempt investment managers regarding disclosure matters and compliance obligations and regulatory and enforcement matters. Jeff also has significant experience advising funded-trader proprietary trading firms regarding a wide variety of structuring and regulatory matters. He is also regularly involved in defending members and member firms before CFTC, NFA, SEC and FINRA. His experience includes regulatory matters involving designated contract markets (DCM) and derivatives clearing organizations (DCO), particularly in the area of prediction markets offering event contracts, as well as currently serving as a public director and member of the Regulatory Oversight Committee for a U.S.-based DCM and a DCO involved in prediction markets.

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Photo of William Mack William Mack

William B. Mack is a co-chair of the Financial Regulatory & Compliance Practice. He is experienced in advising companies on regulatory and compliance matters relating to the Securities and Exchange Commission regulations, the Exchange Act, Anti-Money Laundering laws and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority

…

William B. Mack is a co-chair of the Financial Regulatory & Compliance Practice. He is experienced in advising companies on regulatory and compliance matters relating to the Securities and Exchange Commission regulations, the Exchange Act, Anti-Money Laundering laws and Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) rules.

William’s practice involves all aspects of broker-dealer regulation, including Self-Regulatory Organization (SRO) membership, supervision, employment, research, soft dollar arrangements, chaperoning of foreign broker-dealers, social media, use of foreign finders, anti-money laundering rules, alternative trading systems (ATS), exchanges, and market making issues. He also provides regulatory guidance to investment banking clients in connection with securities offerings and related trading issues.

William advises firms in the FINRA new membership (NMA) and the continuing membership (CMA) processes. William assists firms to develop or amend their written supervisory procedures and compliance manuals.

William routinely represents clients who are negotiating placement agent agreements, foreign finders agreements, clearing agreements, agreements with registered representatives and expense-sharing agreements.

William assists broker-dealers and their associated persons to respond to regulatory examinations and inquiries and provides effective representation in a range of enforcement proceedings with the SEC, FINRA, NYSE, state and foreign regulatory authorities. He regularly prepares and defends witnesses in FINRA on-the-record interviews and SEC testimony. Enforcement matters have involved issues including market manipulation, supervision, customer defalcations, insider trading, anti-money laundering, distribution of unregistered securities, direct market access, market making, soft dollar arrangements, cross border trading, electronic intrusion and customer impersonation, sales practices, supervision, private placements, ETFs, indexes, and other securities products.

William regularly addresses questions with respect to what activities require or are exempt from broker-dealer registration. William assists firms in obtaining guidance, interpretive letters, and no-action relief from FINRA and the SEC with respect to novel securities issues and the creation of new products and services. William also advises clients on cryptocurrency, tokenization, NFTs, DeFi structures, and digital asset exchanges and trading.

Prior to joining the firm, William was a Principal Counsel for Enforcement at FINRA. Before FINRA, he was the Director of the Executive Secretariat in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. William also served as a Deputy Associate Counsel at the White House, advising primarily on appointments and investigations. Before the White House, he practiced at large firms in New York. William clerked for Judge Robert L. Carter in the Southern District of New York.

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Photo of Douglas E. Arend Douglas E. Arend

Doug Arend focuses his practice on commodity futures, derivatives and securities, with an emphasis on managed funds. He represents registered and exempt investment advisers, commodity pools and hedge funds, traditional proprietary trading firms, introducing brokers, futures commission merchants and broker-dealers. Doug has significant…

Doug Arend focuses his practice on commodity futures, derivatives and securities, with an emphasis on managed funds. He represents registered and exempt investment advisers, commodity pools and hedge funds, traditional proprietary trading firms, introducing brokers, futures commission merchants and broker-dealers. Doug has significant experience advising funded-trader proprietary trading firms regarding a wide variety of structuring and regulatory matters. He concentrates on complex transactional and regulatory matters, including public and private offerings, fund formation, business structuring, registration and compliance. His experience includes regulatory matters involving designated contract markets and derivatives clearing organizations, particularly in the area of prediction markets offering event contracts.

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  • Posted in:
    Banking, Finance and Securities
  • Blog:
    Overheard on the Block(chain)
  • Organization:
    Greenberg Traurig, LLP
  • Article: View Original Source

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