Digital Asset named Chris Giancarlo to its board of directors on Jan. 25, 20221. Giancarlo had chaired the Commodity Futures Trading Commission from 2014 to 2019. During that term the agency oversaw the launch of the first Bitcoin futures contracts. Susan Hauser, chair of Digital Asset's board, said his arrival would help customers across the industry. “Mr. Giancarlo's regulatory expertise combined with his knowledge of blockchain, and asset tokenization strategies will bring tremendous value to Digital Asset, our customers and the entire industry,” Hauser said.
The fourth board appointment at Digital Asset on the record since 2018
Leadership moves CryptoLately has verified at Digital Asset, by year
- 2022: 1
- 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 5 |
| 2019 | 2 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
Four board appointments on the record in 2022
Board appointments CryptoLately has verified, by year; 2026 through Oct. 2, 2026
- 2022: 4
- 2019, 2020, 2021, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026
Moves: The Moves Ledger, CryptoLately's record of verified leadership moves, Oct. 3, 2016 to Oct. 2, 2026.
Read the chart as a table
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 3 |
| 2020 | 10 |
| 2021 | 10 |
| 2022 | 4 |
| 2023 | 4 |
| 2024 | 6 |
| 2025 | 20 |
| 2026 | 29 |
The move
Giancarlo joined as an adviser, outside the day-to-day operation. The announcement said he would advise Digital Asset's leadership on asset tokenization and distributed ledger technology. Regulatory developments fell under that counsel too1. Cointelegraph reported the same day that many in crypto called him "Crypto Dad." The outlet tied the nickname to his support for digital assets at the CFTC, including his oversight of the first regulated Bitcoin futures2. Yuval Rooz, Digital Asset's co-founder and chief executive, welcomed the hire in the press release. “Chris is highly respected across traditional and digital financial markets and is a great addition to our Board,” Rooz said. “As a renowned blockchain technology advocate and key contributor to the global discourse on digital assets, his insights will be critical to our continued growth and success”.
Why would a company building bank infrastructure want a former derivatives regulator on its board? Giancarlo answered that in his own quote. “We are on the precipice of a digital economic transformation that will necessitate safe and secure ways for businesses to interconnect and share assets,” he said. “Digital Asset is building the future of business, a network that enables organizations around the world to innovate across boundaries, build economic value, all while preserving privacy and minimizing risk”1.
Digital Asset before and after
Cointelegraph reported that Digital Asset had raised more than $300 million since its 2014 founding. That total included a $120 million Series D round in April 20212. The company had also acquired Hyperledger-linked and Elevence assets in the blockchain space. Giancarlo brought outside positions with him. He served as senior counsel at the law firm Willkie Farr & Gallagher. Board seats at Nomura Holdings and the American Financial Exchange rounded out his record. Giancarlo had also co-founded the Digital Dollar Project, a group focused on a U.S. central bank digital currency. Cointelegraph noted he had served four months on the board of BlockFi earlier in 2021, before that lender's later troubles.
What came next
Digital Asset's own network grew into the business Giancarlo described. CoinDesk reported on June 11, 2026, that Digital Asset closed a $355 million funding round led by a16z crypto3. The money would expand its Canton Network blockchain. Backers in the round included ABN Amro, Apollo Funds, BNP Paribas, Citadel Securities, HSBC and the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. That total beat a reported $300 million target at a $2 billion valuation. “For capital markets to move onchain, institutions need infrastructure that reflects how they actually operate, with privacy, compliance, scale, and interoperability built in from the start,” Rooz said in that announcement. CoinDesk described Canton Network as built for large banks. They can trade tokenized bonds, loans and funds on it, on one shared ledger.
Sources
- Digital Asset, "Former CFTC chairman Giancarlo joins Digital Asset board," Finextra, Jan. 25, 2022, https://www.finextra.com/pressarticle/91173/former-cftc-chairman-giancarlo-joins-digital-asset-board
- Turner Wright, "Former CFTC chair Chris Giancarlo joins Digital Asset's board," Cointelegraph, Jan. 25, 2022, https://cointelegraph.com/news/former-cftc-chair-chris-giancarlo-joins-digital-asset-s-board
- Krisztian Sandor, "Canton Network developer Digital Asset raises $355 million to bring capital markets onchain," CoinDesk, June 11, 2026, https://www.coindesk.com/business/2026/06/11/canton-network-developer-digital-asset-raises-usd355-million-to-bring-wall-street-onchain