Brian Quintenz

Brian D. Quintenz is an American former regulator and crypto policy executive. He was a commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) from 2017 to 2021, then led policy at a16z crypto, the crypto unit of Andreessen Horowitz, and has sat on the board of the prediction market Kalshi since November 2021. Donald Trump named him to chair the CFTC in February 2025 and the White House withdrew the nomination on September 30, 2025.

Commissioner, 2017 to 2021

Quintenz served as a commissioner from August 15, 2017 to August 31, 2021, in a seat whose term ran from April 15, 2015 to April 15, 2020.¹ He was nominated by both Presidents Obama and Trump, was confirmed unanimously by the Senate, and led the CFTC's Technology Advisory Committee.²

a16z crypto

On September 9, 2021 a16z crypto announced that Quintenz had joined as an advisory partner; on December 5, 2022 it announced that he had accepted the full-time position of head of policy.²³

Kalshi Board

On November 16, 2021 Kalshi announced that Quintenz had joined its board of directors. The announcement called him "a leading advocate for sensible and risk-calibrated regulation" and credited him with a "tour de force analysis of prediction markets"; a Kalshi representative declined to disclose the other board members.⁴ The seven Form D filings of Kalshi Inc., dated March 19, 2020 through August 25, 2026, do not list Quintenz among their related persons.⁵

Nomination, 2025

In February 2025 Trump named Quintenz as his choice to chair the CFTC. A Senate Agriculture Committee hearing on the nomination was held in June 2025.⁶ In a letter dated May 21, 2025 to the CFTC's designated agency ethics official describing the steps he would take to avoid conflicts, Quintenz wrote: "I will not participate personally and substantially in any particular matter that to my knowledge has a direct and predictable effect on the financial interests of [Kalshi]," and that he would not participate in any matter involving Kalshi for one year.⁷

On August 4, 2025 Representative Dina Titus, co-chair of the Congressional Gaming Caucus, wrote to Acting Chairwoman Caroline Pham that Quintenz "is currently on the board of Kalshi and holds stock options in the company." The letter listed three CFTC actions since the February nomination: settling lawsuits with Kalshi, approving new prediction market platforms and closing investigations, with citations to the May 5, 2025 move to drop the Kalshi appeal, the approval of the exchange Railbird, and the July 2025 closure of the Polymarket investigations. It cited a Freedom of Information Act request by the newsletter The Closing Line as indicating that Quintenz "has sought information regarding Kalshi's competitors," and asked for the release of his communications on prediction markets and event contracts and for review by the CFTC inspector general.⁷

Quintenz has said he would leave the Kalshi board if confirmed, and emails that surfaced in July 2025 suggested that an associate may have sought non-public CFTC information about Kalshi's competitors, according to The Block.⁸

Withdrawal

The White House asked the Senate Agriculture Committee to delay a vote on the nomination in July 2025. Tyler Winklevoss, co-founder of the exchange Gemini, told The Block on July 31, 2025: "He's the wrong person for this nomination and to chair the CFTC" and "His policy is not in line with the stated goals and policy of President Trump and the Trump administration."⁸ Quintenz later published private messages with the Winklevoss brothers on X and stated: "I believe these texts make it clear what they were after from me, and what I refused to promise," and "It's my understanding that after this exchange, they contacted the president and asked that my confirmation be paused for reasons other than what is reflected in these texts." The messages concerned Gemini's civil case with the CFTC, which Gemini had settled for 5 million dollars in January 2025.⁹

The White House withdrew the nomination on September 30, 2025. Quintenz told Cointelegraph: "I look forward to returning to my private sector endeavors during this exciting time for innovation in our country."⁹ Michael Selig was nominated to the post on October 27, 2025 and confirmed on December 18, 2025, according to the CFTC.¹⁰

SUI Group

On January 5, 2026 the board of SUI Group (Nasdaq: SUIG) appointed Quintenz as a director, effective immediately, to serve on its audit committee. The company's Form 8-K states that he "currently serves on the board of directors for Kalshi."¹¹