Brian Quintenz, who was nominated last year to lead the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), has taken on a new role in the prediction markets industry as the Coalition for Prediction Markets (CPM) announced that he has joined the organization as a senior advisor.
Quintenz Joins CPM As Senior Advisor
The appointment brings another high-profile former policymaker into the industry’s lobbying efforts as prediction markets continue to face challenges from state regulators while seeking wider recognition in the Senate. Quintenz is a former Republican CFTC commissioner and the former global head of policy at Andreessen Horowitz’s crypto division, a16z crypto. He also sits on Kalshi’s advisory board and has long been regarded as a supporter of both the digital asset and prediction market industries.
Quintenz joins former House Financial Services Committee Chairman Patrick McHenry as a senior advisor to the organization. The coalition is headed by former Democratic Congressman Sean Patrick Maloney, who serves as its president.
CPM brings together leading exchanges, brokerages, and industry advocates to promote broader consumer access to safe, transparent, and trustworthy prediction markets across the US. The coalition’s members include Kalshi, Crypto.com, Coinbase, Robinhood, and Underdog.
Quintenz said that good regulation supports strong innovation and should benefit the broader industry rather than any single company. He added that the CPM brings together firms committed to operating within the regulatory framework and working with policymakers to ensure the rules are appropriately tailored to the markets they offer.
Quintenz Tried His Hand at Heading the CFTC
Last year, President Donald Trump nominated Quintenz to lead the CFTC, the national regulatory body that is currently regulating prediction market operators. However, his nomination drew increasing scrutiny from lawmakers due to his connections to the prediction market and cryptocurrency sectors.
Critics raised concerns that his industry relationships could present potential conflicts of interest, even though Quintenz had committed to stepping down from Kalshi’s advisory board and recusing himself from matters involving the company. In September 2025, reports indicated that the White House was exploring other candidates for the position. Later in October, Trump withdrew Quintenz’s nomination.
Interestingly, before the nomination was withdrawn, reports suggested that the co-founders of the cryptocurrency exchange Gemini, Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, had opposed Quintenz’s confirmation efforts. The dispute gained further attention after Quintenz shared private messages he had exchanged with Tyler Winklevoss on X.
According to Quintenz, the messages showed that Winklevoss sought assurances that, if confirmed as CFTC chairman, he would reconsider the agency’s previous settlement with Gemini. However, Quintenz declined to make any such commitment, leading to the two brothers lobbying against him.
In other news about the CFTC, senators recently asked the organization to say what it knows about allegations that Polymarket paid millions to various online content creators to stage fake bets as part of a marketing campaign.