CFTC Names Former SEC Crypto Expert as Chief Data Innovation Officer

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission oversees derivatives markets, while the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, or CLARITY Act, moving through Congress would redraw the division of digital-asset oversight between the CFTC and the Securities and Exchange Commission. The bill passed the House on July 17, 2025. If the CFTC gains expanded authority, data analysis and on-chain forensic capabilities will be critical to supervision and enforcement.

CFTC Chairman Michael S. Selig announced on June 15, 2026, that Donald Battle had been appointed chief data innovation officer. Battle will serve within the agency’s data division and join its innovation task force. He previously served as a senior adviser to the SEC’s crypto task force and as a virtual-currency enforcement officer at the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN. His expertise spans data science, blockchain forensics, APIs and AI solutions.