Trump taps CFTC Commissioner Caroline Pham to lead as acting chair: Bloomberg

President Donald Trump has tapped one of the U.S. Commodity and Futures Trading Commission's top officials, Commissioner Caroline Pham, to lead the agency as acting chair, according to reporting from Bloomberg News.

Trump picked Pham to lead the agency as acting chair, and the CFTC's five members voted to confirm her as acting chair,  Bloomberg reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. 

Pham, one of the agency's Republican commissioners nominated by former President Joe Biden, led multiple digital asset initiatives at the CFTC, including the creation of a Digital Asset Markets subcommittee to make recommendations around governance and risk as well as proposing a regulatory framework for digital assets. Pham called for a " U.S. regulatory sandbox " in 2023 that would create a framework for new technologies and later start a pilot program for digital assets. 

In a statement, Pham said she looked forward to leading the CFTC as acting chair. 

“I want to thank President Trump for his confidence in me, and I’m grateful to my colleagues and the CFTC staff for their support," Pham said. "I’m looking forward to engaging with all stakeholders in this new capacity as we focus on the CFTC’s mission to promote well-functioning markets that support economic growth and the competitiveness of the United States.” 

The Trump team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

The Trump administration has not yet named a permanent CFTC chair. Current CFTC Chair Rostin Behnam said earlier this month that he planned to step down as of today and said his last day at the CFTC will be on Feb. 7. A top contender to lead the agency has been former CFTC Commissioner Brian Quintenz, according to multiple news reports .

Update: Jan. 20, 5:50 p.m. UTC to include comments from Pham