SEC Crypto Task Force Gets New Chief Counsel: Former Chainlink Exec Replaces Michael Selig

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Former Chainlink Exec Replaces Michael Selig As SEC’s Crypto Task Force Chief Counsel

With the Trump administration urging the creation of clear rules for the crypto industry, a former executive from Chainlink has taken on a key legal role with the SEC’s Crypto Task Force.

SEC Appoints New Crypto Task Force Legal Advisor

Chainlink announced on Monday that Taylor Lindman is leaving the company to become Chief Counsel for the SEC’s Crypto Task Force. Lindman spent five years at Chainlink Labs, holding various high-level legal roles, most recently as Deputy General Counsel.

The company expressed gratitude to Lindman for his contributions in a post on X, and stated its excitement about continuing to work with him to improve and expand the U.S. financial system.

A former executive from Chainlink is taking over from Michael Selig, who is expected to become Chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in December 2025. This new executive will be the main legal advisor for the Crypto Task Force, responsible for making sure everything follows the rules, managing risks, and providing legal guidance.

After Gary Gensler stepped down as the SEC’s acting chairman, Mark Uyeda created a Crypto Task Force. This group was formed to examine how the SEC handles digital assets and to build a straightforward, complete set of rules for them.

Since it began, the task force has hosted several discussions with industry experts to explore various parts of the sector’s rules, such as digital asset representation (tokenization), decentralized finance (DeFi), monitoring financial activity, and protecting privacy.

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce, head of the agency’s crypto task force, announced the appointment of Taylor Lindman as the task force’s new chief counsel in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Peirce expressed her enthusiasm, stating she anticipates Lindman will be a valuable asset.

SEC To Advance Digital Asset Regulation

SEC Chairman Paul Atkins recently outlined the agency’s plans for regulating digital assets this year. At a conference in Denver with Commissioner Peirce, Atkins confirmed that the SEC will continue its work through Project Crypto, now a collaborative effort with the CFTC.

He pointed out that the two Commissions are collaborating on significant initiatives, including streamlining regulations and creating unified rules – a level of cooperation unprecedented between these agencies, which have often disagreed in the past.

According to Bitcoinist, these government agencies are working together to create a standard way to classify crypto assets, define which agency oversees what, eliminate unnecessary compliance rules, and simplify the overall regulatory landscape.

He also stated that the agency will be looking at several projects in the next few months, including a plan to clarify how they define crypto assets that could be considered investments.

They are also exploring ways to allow limited trading of some digital securities on new platforms through an innovation exemption. To provide more guidance, they will issue no-action letters and potentially grant exemptions. They also plan to create rules about how broker-dealers can hold digital assets like payment stablecoins, and update recordkeeping rules to work with blockchain technology.

Earlier this month, SEC Chairman Gary Atkins discussed the agency’s plans to create official rules for categorizing crypto tokens. During a hearing before the House Financial Services Committee, he stated that clear rules for crypto are badly needed. He stressed that a complete federal plan, like the proposed market structure bill, would provide stable, long-term regulations that are difficult to alter.

According to a recent statement, SEC staff has made significant progress in clarifying cryptocurrency regulations over the past year, particularly under Commissioner Hester Peirce’s direction. However, the speaker believes that lasting improvements to these rules will require new, bipartisan legislation focused on market structure.

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2026-02-25 16:12