CFTC Taps DJ Hennes to Lead Market Participants Division

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission appointed DJ Hennes director of its Market Participants Division, Chairman Michael S. Selig announced Monday. Hennes will lead the division that supervises brokers, swap dealers, fund operators and other CFTC-registered intermediaries.

Hennes’s responsibilities include directing compliance examinations, overseeing registration processes and coordinating the agency’s work with self-regulatory organizations such as the National Futures Association.

The appointment comes as the CFTC advances rulemaking on crypto-linked products and federally regulated prediction markets, including proposed rules on event contracts. The agency has also pushed back against state-level limits on licensed prediction-market platforms. Selig, a Trump appointee who took office in December 2025, praised Hennes’s work on crypto assets and prediction markets, adding: “He brings a wealth of experience advising clients across the financial services industry, and his work with crypto assets and prediction markets will be of tremendous value as we seek to future-proof the CFTC’s rules and regulations.”

Hennes joins the agency from KPMG, where he advised banks and brokers on compliance for digital-asset derivatives. He previously spent 15 years at Promontory Financial Group and rose to lead its Americas capital markets unit. He holds a degree in history and economics from Vanderbilt University and has spoken publicly on prediction-market regulation, including during a KPMG webcast.

In a statement, Hennes said: “I am honored to be joining the Commission. I look forward to working with Chairman Selig, his leadership team, and the dedicated staff as we continue the CFTC’s mission of fostering integrity, innovation, and liquidity in our vibrant derivatives markets.”

The appointment places a compliance specialist atop one of the agency’s core oversight divisions during active regulatory development for crypto assets and prediction markets, requiring coordination among regulated intermediaries, self-regulatory organizations and the agency.