Andreessen Horowitz appoints Miles Jennings as Brian Quintenz prepares for CFTC role
Regulatory shifts and expectations in Washington
As announced by a16z Crypto General Partner Chris Dixon, the firm has appointed Miles Jennings as Head of Policy, replacing Brian Quintenz, who has been nominated to lead the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and is awaiting Senate confirmation.
On Tuesday, in a statement on social media platform X, Chris Dixon thanked Brian Quintenz for his contributions and introduced Miles Jennings as the new Head of Policy at a16z Crypto, highlighting that Jennings had previously played a key role in shaping the firm's policy decisions
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A Legal expert with deep crypto industry experience
Miles Jennings is one of the most experienced attorneys in the cryptocurrency sector. His first involvement in crypto dates back to 2017, when he worked with ConsenSys. Later, as a partner at Latham & Watkins, he co-chaired the firm’s global blockchain and cryptocurrency task force.
Jennings has advised nearly all major venture firms operating in the crypto industry, designing investment structures widely used today and consulting dozens of crypto startups.
At a16z Crypto, Jennings served as General Counsel, advising the firm and its portfolio companies on decentralization, DAOs, governance, NFTs, and federal and state securities laws.
Regulatory shifts and expectations in Washington
This leadership change at a16z Crypto comes at a time when cryptocurrency regulations, stablecoin policies, and market structure initiatives are at the center of discussions in Congress and the Trump administration.
Crypto industry lobbyists are pushing for tax rule reversals introduced under the Biden administration and advocating for the removal of banking restrictions on crypto firms.
Brian Quintenz, who led a16z Crypto’s policy division, is expected to play a crucial role in these efforts, having previously served as a CFTC Commissioner (2017–2021). During his tenure, he played a key role in approving Bitcoin and Ethereum futures contracts.
As we wrote, in a significant move for the cryptocurrency industry, a16z crypto, the Web3-focused arm of venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, has pledged over $23 million to Fairshake and affiliated political action committees (PACs) in anticipation of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections. The funding aims to support candidates who advocate for clear and balanced regulation in the digital asset space, reflecting a16z’s commitment to maintaining U.S. technological leadership in cryptocurrency.
