CFTC Appoints Ripple CEO to Innovation Advisory Committee

The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has appointed Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse to its newly formed Innovation Advisory Committee (IAC).

For context, the IAC features a 35-member panel that will guide the agency on emerging technologies in financial markets. The committee also includes Frank LaSalla, the president of the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC),along with senior executives from major crypto firms and traditional financial institutions.

The CFTC announced the full list of members on Feb. 12, 2026, as part of an effort to improve on how it oversees fast-moving technologies in derivatives, commodities, and financial services.

• The CFTC amended its advisory committee charter and re-launched the Innovation Advisory Committee last month, before announcing its 35 members on Feb. 12, 2026.
• The agency named Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse as one of the 35 members of the panel, alongside other financial industry leaders like the DTCC President.
• The panel also includes around 20 crypto-related members, including executives from Coinbase, Uniswap Labs, Solana Labs, Gemini, Chainlink Labs, and Robinhood, alongside representatives from Nasdaq and CME.
• Garlinghouse has often engaged in regulatory discussions in the U.S., joining the White House Crypto Summit last March and participating in a February 2026 meeting on stablecoin yield and the CLARITY Act.

Notably, the CFTC amended and filed its committee’s charter on Jan. 9, 2026. Three days later, the agency formally launched the Innovation Advisory Committee, replacing the former Technology Advisory Committee. Chairman Michael S. Selig led the restructuring and expanded the group to 35 members.

Specifically, the committee will advise the CFTC on issues that involve technology, law, policy, and finance. Members will also discuss developments surrounding blockchain, digital assets, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and other emerging technologies.

Further, they will recommend how the agency should apply technology in its own surveillance and enforcement systems and where it should invest to strengthen oversight.

The CFTC created the updated panel to keep up with growing innovation, especially in blockchain and AI.The agency seeks to prepare U.S. markets for long-term technological change and to draw directly from industry expertise.

The 35-member roster involves leaders from crypto-native companies, established financial institutions, exchanges, DeFi platforms, infrastructure providers, and academia. Around 20 of the members represent crypto-focused organizations.

Garlinghouse joins Brian Armstrong of Coinbase, Tyler Winklevoss of Gemini, Anatoly Yakovenko of Solana Labs, Hayden Adams of Uniswap Labs, Sergey Nazarov of Chainlink Labs, and Vlad Tenev of Robinhood. The committee also includes representatives from Nasdaq and CME,

Garlinghouse’s appointment places Ripple at the center of ongoing regulatory discussions around digital assets in the United States. Speaking on the development, the Ripple CEO called the panel “the Olympics crypto roster.”

As far as committees go…this is the Olympics crypto roster https://t.co/qYYNx8vviH

— Brad Garlinghouse (@bgarlinghouse) February 12, 2026

Interestingly, this represents Garlinghouse’s latest involvement in U.S. policy decision-making as he has taken part in several high-level developments involving the current Donald Trump administration since early 2025.

Last January, Garlinghouse and Ripple Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty attended a private dinner with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Two months later, he joined a White House Crypto Summit roundtable with Trump and other industry leaders, including executives from Coinbase and Gemini.

Meanwhile, earlier this month, Garlinghouse attended a White House meeting led by Trump’s crypto adviser Patrick Witt. Attendees discussed stablecoin yield structures, potential compromises within the CLARITY Act, and broader crypto market structure legislation.