Silicon Valley venture capital giant Andreessen Horowitz is hiring Brian Quintenz, a former top official at the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, to advise on crypto policy issues.
Quintenz, who served as Republican commissioner at the CFTC from 2017 until last month, will work with a team involved in crypto-related investments, according Andreessen, which is also known as a16z. The firm has invested in a range of companies involved in digital-asset trading including COINBASE Global Inc. and Robinhood Markets Inc.
The addition of Quintenz comes as Washington regulators including Securities and Exchange Commission Chair Gary Gensler signal a more aggressive approach to overseeing the nascent industry. Andreessen’s other crypto advisers include Bill Hinman, who ran the corporate filings division at the SEC, and Brent McIntosh, who was the top Treasury Department official for international affairs during the Trump administration.
“The regulatory response to crypto innovation will be critical in whether an openly accessible, fully transparent and decentralized value-creating financial ecosystem can be truly achieved,” Quintenz said in a statement. “I’m excited to engage with both entrepreneurs and regulators to ensure that full potential can become a reality.”
At the CFTC, Quintenz led the Technology Advisory Committee, which frequently engaged with industry leaders on policy issues related to digital assets. During his time there, the regulator green-lit the listing of the first future contracts based on virtual currencies.
