Rostin Behnam

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Rostin Behnam Occupation financial regulator, policy advisor Employer Georgetown University McDonough School of Business Location Washington, DC, United States LinkedIn Profile Website msb.georgetown.edu Rostin Behnam is an American legal and policy expert who served as the 15th chairman of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) from 2021 to 2025, following a term as a CFTC commissioner beginning in 2017. Behnam is recognized for his work in advancing market integrity, regulatory modernization, and the supervision of derivatives, futures, options, digital assets, and risk management in U.S. financial markets. In January of 2026, Behnam was appointed to the board of governors of FINRA. Background Behnam started his professional career practicing law at a New York firm, focusing on regulatory and compliance matters involving proprietary trading firms and asset managers. His background includes positions in both public and private sectors, with experience investigating financial crime and enforcing securities regulations at the New Jersey Bureau of Securities and the Office of the Attorney General. He became senior counsel to Senator Debbie Stabenow of Michigan on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, contributing to key legislative initiatives including provisions that expanded the CFTC's authority and oversight following the Dodd-Frank Act. Behnam’s work in Congress included shaping financial market policy, commodity regulation, and addressing hedging, swaps, liquidity, and price discovery standards. In 2017, Behnam was nominated by President Donald Trump and confirmed as a CFTC commissioner, where he focused on climate-related financial risks, emphasizing the importance of transparency, market resilience, and risk management. Following the election of President Joseph R. Biden, Behnam served as acting chairman in 2021 and was later confirmed for a full term as chairman in December 2021. As chairman of the CFTC, Behnam led efforts to enhance the agency's response to emerging financial technology risks, particularly those related to cryptocurrencies, bitcoin, and electronic trading. He created the CFTC’s AI Task Force, appointed the agency’s first chief artificial intelligence officer, and launched an analytics strategy to improve oversight, enforcement, and market surveillance. After leaving the CFTC in 2025, Behnam was appointed a distinguished fellow at the Psaros Center for Financial Markets and Policy at Georgetown University, where he contributes to academic research and public discourse around market infrastructure, regulation, and risk governance. Education Behnam earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature and economics from Georgetown University and a Juris Doctor from the Syracuse University College of Law. Risk Management Throughout his regulatory career, Behnam prioritized risk management, customer protections, compliance, and improved data policy. Directing the CFTC during a period of rapid technological transformation, he sought to balance innovation with market integrity by implementing new rules on digital assets, cyber resilience, and data management for exchanges and associated intermediaries. Behnam’s tenure also included restructuring the CFTC’s fintech and customer protection programs and promoting international regulatory cooperation. Controversies Behnam’s chairmanship was marked by intense debate over the CFTC’s evolving mandate regarding cryptocurrencies, bitcoin, and prediction markets. Industry observers noted policy and personality clashes within the commission, which sometimes delayed rulemaking and intensified partisan divides. Issues such as crypto market oversight, political prediction markets, and conflicts with other regulators often placed Behnam at the center of public disputes about the direction and scope of U.S. market supervision. Despite criticism over the pace of regulatory adaptation, Behnam’s impact is recognized for proactively addressing high-profile risks and intensifying enforcement actions in uncertain, highly innovative sectors. Video JLN Industry Leader Video Series 2024 JLN Industry Leader Video Series 2023 JLN Industry Leader Video Series 2022 Podcasts Inside the ICE House References

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