CFTC Taps SEC Crypto Adviser Donald Battle as Data Chief

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission named Donald Battle chief data innovation officer in a Monday notice from Chair Michael Selig. Selig described Battle’s experience as “data science, blockchain forensics, programming interfaces, and cutting-edge AI solutions.” The office will focus on the agency’s use of data, analytics and automated tools for oversight and enforcement.

Battle joined the Securities and Exchange Commission’s crypto task force as an adviser in January 2025 with the incoming administration. He previously served as a blockchain data adviser for the CFTC and as a crypto enforcement specialist at the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, where his work included detecting illicit activity tied to cryptocurrencies and applying chain-analysis to investigations.

The appointment comes while the CFTC is handling legal and regulatory questions around digital assets. Under Selig the commission has asserted exclusion jurisdiction over certain prediction market platforms, including Kalshi and Polymarket, prompting lawsuits and state enforcement actions. Last week the CFTC published a proposed rule intended to separate sports event contracts from what it described as “games of random chance” and opened a 45-day public comment period on the draft.

Congress is debating the CLARITY Act, proposed legislation that would define the division of responsibilities between the CFTC and the SEC for trading venues, custody and other market infrastructure. Selig’s notice did not specify Battle’s initial priorities or the structure of the office he will lead.

The creation of a chief data innovation officer follows a pattern at financial regulators to expand investment in data engineering, analytics and automated oversight tools for market surveillance and enforcement.