Crypto Hiring: Industry waits for more Trump appointments

The president-elect nominated Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick to run the commerce department

article-image

photo_gonzo/Shutterstock modified by Blockworks

share

Though not the type of crypto hire we typically cover in these roundups, President-elect Donald Trump nominated Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick to lead the Department of Commerce this week.

We highlighted Lutnick’s remarks on bitcoin in a September edition of the Forward Guidance newsletter. At the time, the CEO noted that traditional finance players — including banks and brokerages — would “go headfirst into bitcoin” when the regulatory environment improved. 

Trump’s election win has seemed to set the stage for that, given the crypto promises he has made (namely, “firing” Securities and Exchange Chair Gary Gensler).

Read more: Trump nominates pro-crypto CEO to lead commerce department

Lutnick said in a September X video that bitcoin adoption will proliferate once banks can more freely clear, custody and transact in bitcoin — a reality hindered by the SEC’s Staff Accounting Bulletin (SAB) 121.

Lutnick’s firm has stablecoin issuer Tether as a client — a company that has denied being under federal investigation.

Speaking of Trump appointments, reports surfaced this week of him potentially selecting a crypto czar and forming a crypto council that could be housed under the White House’s National Economic Council.

Still, Blockchain Association CEO Kristin Smith said she is watching out for who could fill two other roles.

Loading Tweet..

Gensler said this week he would step down from his SEC chair post on Jan. 20. 

Read more: Changes at the SEC start well ahead of Inauguration Day

As for a crypto firm adding an executive, bitcoin infrastructure technology Blockstream appointed hedge fund veteran Sean Bill as its chief investment officer. 

Bill, who was most recently CIO of Prime Meridian Capital Management, is set to lead Blockstream’s newly created asset management division.

The firm’s bitcoin financial products in development include a bitcoin yield fund (aiming to function like a money market fund for BTC holders) and a USD yield fund (providing lending opportunities that generate income through bitcoin-backed loans).  

In other soon-to-be hiring news, Wintermute Asia is set to double its headcount in the Asia Pacific region upon establishing a new headquarters in Singapore, the company said earlier this week. 

The digital asset derivatives trading arm of Wintermute Group said Monday it is “actively hiring for top-of-the-funnel roles that are critical to scaling its operations.”


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

  • Blockworks Daily: The newsletter that helps thousands of investors understand crypto and the markets, by Byron Gilliam.
  • Empire: Start your morning with the top news and analysis to inform your day in crypto.
  • Forward Guidance: Reporting and analysis on the growing intersection of crypto and macroeconomics, policy and finance.
  • 0xResearch: Alpha directly in your inbox. Market highlights, data, degen trade ideas, governance updates, token performance and more.
  • Lightspeed: Built for Solana investors, developers and community members. The latest from one of crypto’s hottest networks.
  • The Drop: For crypto collectors and traders, covering apps, games, memes and more.
Tags

Upcoming Events

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 18 - 20, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

Industry City | Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

Research Report Templates (4).png

Research

Even as the most performant, widely used blockchain today, Solana is still far from perfect, prompting some teams to iterate upon some design choices while maintaining compatibility at the SVM execution layer. This report analyzes three emergent SVM chains (Eclipse, Atlas, and Fogo) to understand the motivations behind the technical architectures, as well as the current state and future outlook.

article-image

Fundamental investors are turning to token buybacks

article-image

A Glassnode report found that the accumulation range for bitcoin is ‘weak,’ indicating a decline in demand

article-image

CEO Bam Azizi said he’ll only be seeking stablecoin-exclusive funding rounds from now on

article-image

Sponsored

WalletConnect is set to deepen its role by integrating with emerging standards and expanding its utility across different onchain sectors

article-image

Zeta Markets has shipped testnet for Bullet, a low-latency “network extension,” the team told Lightspeed exclusively

article-image

Having passed Congress, the resolution will now head to Trump’s desk