Daniel Davis Featured in The Dispatch on the Growing Role of the CFTC

Partner and Financial Markets and Regulation Co-Chair Daniel Davis spoke with The Dispatch about the expanding authority of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as the agency takes center stage in debates over prediction markets and cryptocurrency regulation.

In a feature article examining the CFTC's evolution from an agricultural regulator to a major financial oversight body, Dan addressed the agency’s capacity to take on new responsibilities as Congress considers legislation that would grant it formal authority over spot crypto markets. He stated, "The agency is very familiar with the rule writing process. It’s very familiar with having to deal with complex and technical language from Congress and trying to translate it into ways that can work in derivatives markets."

Dan emphasized that the agency will need additional resources to meet its expanded mandate. "There will need to be more resources devoted to the agency. … That'll be in the policy divisions that need to do the rulemaking. It’ll be in the surveillance functions that need to monitor the markets. It’ll be in enforcement."

He also underscored the broader economic importance of the CFTC's work. "I don't think people fully appreciate how much better our economy functions when we have well-functioning derivatives and securities markets," Dan stated. He explained that the markets the CFTC oversees enable businesses to hedge risk and pursue entrepreneurial activity. He noted, "The fact that you have a number of entities that have the ability to use these markets to be able to better allocate their risk means we're allocating capital better, we're being more efficient as a society, and we're giving better opportunities for the economy as a whole." Dan emphasized, "Agencies like the CFTC and the SEC are really important because they create that environment in which capital, trading, and economic activity can continue to grow, which benefits everybody."

"From Corn to Crypto: The Rise of the CFTC," The Dispatch, February 26, 2026

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