Avery Ching isn’t just shipping code anymore. The Aptos co-founder and CEO has been appointed to the CFTC’s digital asset panel, signaling a new era where those who build the infrastructure help shape its regulation.
On June 30, Aptos Labs announced that its co-founder and CEO, Avery Ching, was appointed to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission’s Digital Asset Markets Subcommittee.
The group, part of the CFTC’s Global Markets Advisory Committee, includes heavyweights from BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, and Citadel, alongside key crypto industry figures like Polygon Labs’ Rebecca Rettig and CoinFund’s Christopher Perkins.
According to Aptos, Ching will represent the builder’s perspective in a policy environment still largely shaped by legal and financial incumbents. His appointment suggests that the CFTC is actively seeking input from technologists who understand blockchain’s complexities, not just financial institutions adapting to its disruption.
Why Ching’s CFTC role could reshape crypto’s regulatory playbook
Avery Ching’s appointment comes at a pivotal moment for crypto regulation. While the SEC keeps swinging its enforcement hammer, the CFTC has been playing a different game. The commodities regulator has steadily expanded its crypto oversight with a lighter touch, especially when it comes to assets like Bitcoin (BTC) and Ethereum (ETH).
With Ching now advising its Digital Asset Markets Subcommittee, the agency gains direct access to a technologist who has built blockchain infrastructure at scale.
Ching’s background sets him apart from traditional finance appointees. Before co-founding Aptos, he was a principal engineer at Meta’s Diem project (formerly Libra), where he grappled with the regulatory hurdles of launching a global stablecoin.
That experience gives him rare insight into both the technical and compliance challenges facing decentralized systems. On the CFTC subcommittee, Ching will work alongside figures like Nasdaq’s Tony Sio and Franklin Templeton’s Sandy Kaul, bridging the gap between crypto’s disruptors and Wall Street’s established players.
Aptos’ quiet regulatory wins
While Ching’s appointment is new, Aptos has been laying groundwork for regulatory relevance. The project was recently named the top blockchain candidate for Wyoming’s WYST, the first fiat-backed stablecoin issued by a U.S. state.
At the same time, Bitwise’s amended filing for an Aptos-linked ETF signals growing institutional interest, even as the SEC delays decisions on broader crypto ETFs. This is not to mention that the Layer 1 blockchain already hosts three USD-pegged stablecoins, a factor that likely caught regulators’ attention given ongoing debates about stablecoin oversight.
Ching’s first test may be the subcommittee’s work on stablecoin and CBDC frameworks, which it began standardizing in March 2024. With Wyoming’s WYST initiative and Aptos’ ETF prospects, his input could directly influence how regulators treat blockchain-native financial instruments.
