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David Miller Chosen to Head CFTC Enforcement While Crypto Role Increases

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Nexo Partners with Bakkt for US Crypto Exchange and Yield Programs

TLDR

  • The CFTC appointed former federal prosecutor David Miller to lead its enforcement division as its crypto oversight role expands.
  • Chair Michael Selig said Miller will focus on policing fraud, abuse, and manipulation while the agency increases staffing efforts.
  • Miller stated he is honored to join the CFTC during what he described as a major period of change for digital asset regulation.
  • Lawmakers continued advancing bills that could broaden CFTC authority over crypto markets and related platforms.
  • Recent reports raised concerns about enforcement staffing at both the CFTC and the SEC after reductions in crypto cases.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) advanced its enforcement plans on Monday as Chair Michael Selig appointed David Miller to lead the division. The move came as the agency expanded its oversight of digital assets and prediction markets. The appointment followed rising questions about enforcement capacity across federal market regulators.

CFTC Enforcement Leadership Shift

The agency named Miller after he handled complex digital asset matters in both government and private practice. The CFTC said his background supports its effort to direct more resources toward market oversight.

Selig stated that Miller brings “decades of experience” that will guide work on fraud, abuse, and manipulation cases. He added that Miller’s approach will reflect a focus on policing markets rather than shaping policy.

Miller said he was “honored and thrilled” to join the agency during what he called a major moment. He also said he appreciated the trust placed in him by Selig.

Crypto Oversight and Agency Staffing

Lawmakers continued to work on bills that could expand CFTC jurisdiction over crypto markets. These proposals would broaden federal roles and create clearer oversight rules. The industry watched staffing levels closely as both the CFTC and Securities and Exchange Commission restructured their enforcement teams. Reports said the CFTC’s Chicago office recently operated without enforcement attorneys after several departures.

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Selig addressed those concerns and said the agency has enough resources to handle its caseload. He also said the CFTC will keep adding personnel to strengthen supervision.

At the SEC, Chair Paul Atkins faced questions about reduced enforcement activity. Lawmakers asked about the drop in digital asset cases and demanded clarity.

Enforcement Trends Across Federal Regulators

Cornerstone Research reported a 30% drop in SEC enforcement actions during 2025. Its data also showed a 60% decrease in crypto cases year over year. Atkins responded by saying the agency maintains a “robust enforcement effort” across its portfolio. He said the agency continues to follow existing rules.

Miller previously served at Greenberg Traurig and Morgan Lewis as a litigation partner. He focused on commodities, securities, digital assets, and national security. He also worked for nearly a decade as an assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York. The CFTC said this experience strengthens its enforcement program.

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Selig said Miller has a proven record of defending market participants from aggressive legal theories. He also said the appointment strengthens the division during rapid industry change. Miller will direct the agency’s enforcement priorities as regulators refine their approach to digital assets. His work begins as both federal regulators assess evolving market conditions.

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Crypto World

Aave’s TVL Falls $8B After $293M Kelp DAO Hack

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Aave’s TVL Falls $8B After $293M Kelp DAO Hack

Total value locked on decentralized lending protocol Aave dropped by nearly $8 billion over the weekend after hackers behind the $293 million Kelp DAO exploit borrowed funds on Aave, leaving roughly $195 million in “bad debt” on the protocol and triggering withdrawals.

Data from DeFiLlama shows that Aave’s TVL fell from about $26.4 billion to $18.6 billion by Sunday, losing the top spot as the largest DeFi protocol. 

Aave v3’s lending pools for USDt (USDT) and USDC (USDC) are now at 100% utilization, meaning that more than $5.1 billion worth of stablecoins cannot be withdrawn until new liquidity arrives or borrows are repaid. 

$2,540 is available to be withdrawn from the $2.87 billion USDT pool on Aave v3 at the time of writing. Source: Aave

Aave’s TVL fall shows how rapidly risk from a single security incident can spread throughout the broader, interconnected DeFi lending market, potentially leading to a severe liquidity crisis.

The incident began on Saturday when hackers stole 116,500 Kelp DAO Restaked ETH (rsETH) tokens worth about $293 million from Kelp DAO’s LayerZero-powered bridge and used them as collateral on Aave v3 to borrow wrapped Ether (wETH).

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Crypto analytics platform Lookonchain said the move created about $195 million in “bad debt” on Aave, which contributed to the Aave (AAVE) token tanking nearly 20% from $112 on Saturday at 6:00 pm UTC to $89.5 about 25 hours later. 

Lookonchain noted that some of the largest crypto whales to withdraw funds from Aave were the MEXC crypto exchange and Abraxas Capital at $431 million and $392 million, respectively.

Source: Grvt

Several crypto networks and protocols tied to rsETH or the LayerZero bridge have paused use of the bridge until the problem is resolved, including DeFi platform Curve Finance, stablecoin issuer Ethena and BitGo’s Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC).

Aave has frozen several rsETH, wETH markets

Shortly after the Kelp DAO exploit, Aave said it froze the rsETH markets on both Aave v3 and v4 to prevent any suspicious borrowing and later stated that rsETH on Ethereum mainnet remains fully backed by underlying assets.

WETH reserves also remain frozen on Ethereum, Arbitrum, Base, Mantle and Linea, Aave said.

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This incident marks the first significant stress test of Aave’s “Umbrella” security model, which was introduced in June 2025 to provide automated protection against protocol bad debt while enabling users to earn rewards.

Related: Aave DAO backs V4 mainnet plan in near-unanimous vote

Earlier this month, the Bank of Canada found that Aave avoided bad debt in its v3 market by using overcollateralization, automated liquidations and other strategies that shifted risk to borrowers.

In comments to Cointelegraph, Aave defended its liquidation-based model, framing it as a core safety mechanism that protects lenders while limiting downside for borrowers.

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It comes as Aave parted ways with its longest-standing DeFi risk service provider, Chaos Labs, on April 6, following disagreements over the direction of Aave v4 and budget constraints.

Magazine: Are DeFi devs liable for the illegal activity of others on their platforms?