Obituaries
Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the board of governors of the Federal Reserve, died on 22 June at the age of 100. Greenspan served as the 13th chairman of the board from 1987 to 2006. During his 18-year tenure, he guided the Federal Reserve through periods of economic expansion and financial market volatility, helping to establish an era of price stability and strengthen confidence in the institution. Widely regarded as one of the most influential central bankers of his generation, he played a significant role in shaping monetary policy and economic thought in the US. Greenspan was also a prominent voice on the regulation of financial markets and maintained a longstanding interest in derivatives markets, having been a member of the Commodity Exchange early in his career. In recognition of his influence on financial markets and public policy, Greenspan was inducted into the FIA Futures Hall of Fame in 2005.
Tom Donovan, former president and chief executive officer of the Chicago Board of Trade, has died at the age of 88. Donovan led the CBOT from 1982 to 2000, overseeing the exchange's growth into the world's largest futures market and guiding it through the transition towards electronic trading. Before joining the CBOT, he served in senior positions in Chicago city government, including as administrative assistant to Mayor Richard Daley. Donovan was inducted into the FIA Futures Hall of Fame in 2005 in recognition of his contributions to the futures and options industry and served on the boards of both FIA and the National Futures Association
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President Donald Trump in June announced the nomination of James McDonald, a former CFTC official, as US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, one of the most powerful prosecutorial offices in the country. If confirmed by the Senate, he will take over from Jay Clayton, who has been nominated by President Trump to serve as the director of National Intelligence. McDonald currently serves as the Deputy US Attorney while his nomination is pending. He previously worked at Sullivan & Cromwell, where he was a partner and advised clients on a range of regulatory, enforcement and litigation matters. He previously served as director of enforcement at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and held roles in the White House Counsel's Office during the administration of President George Bush. Earlier in his career, McDonald served as a federal prosecutor in the Southern District of New York.
The CFTC has appointed Donald Battle as chief data innovation officer, serving in the Division of Data and as a member of the Innovation Task Force. Battle joins from the Securities and Exchange Commission, where he most recently served as a senior advisor to Commissioner Hester Peirce on the agency’s Crypto Task Force and as assistant director in the Enforcement Division’s Data Science Group. Prior to the SEC, he was a virtual currency enforcement officer at the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network within the US Department of the Treasury.
The CFTC has also appointed Matthew Haws as senior advisor in the Office of the Chairman and Chicago regional administrator. Haws joins from Marex, where he served as senior legal counsel, advising the firm’s US derivatives and capital markets businesses on regulatory, governance and compliance matters. Prior to Marex, he was a partner at Katten Muchin Rosenman, where he advised futures commission merchants, broker-dealers and swap dealers on regulatory enforcement and litigation matters.
The Securities and Exchange Commission has appointed Paul Knight as chief operating officer. Knight joins the SEC after nearly 12 years at JP Morgan, where he held a variety of leadership roles, including overseeing the expansion of the bank’s branch network across the US. He brings experience leading large-scale business operations and organisational transformation across multiple lines of business within the banking sector.
The SEC also has appointed Kathleen Hutchinson as director of the Office of International Affairs, which advises the commission on international policy matters and coordinates cross-border enforcement and supervisory cooperation with regulators around the world. Hutchinson has served as acting director of the office since January 2025. She joined the SEC in 2003 as an attorney-advisor in the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations, now the Division of Examinations, and moved to OIA in 2008.
The Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization has announced that Andrew Kriegler will step down as president and chief executive officer after a successor is selected, with the transition expected in 2027. Kriegler, who has led CIRO and its predecessor organisation, the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada, for 12 years, asked the board to begin a search for his successor after overseeing the integration of the industry's self-regulatory bodies into CIRO.
The UK Financial Conduct Authority has appointed Dan Lavender to its Regulatory Decisions Committee, the independent body responsible for making contested enforcement decisions on behalf of the regulator. Lavender joins the committee after a 30-year career at Macfarlanes, where he was a partner in the disputes practice. During his time at the firm, he held several senior leadership roles and advised firms and individuals on complex financial services investigations and disputes.
The Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission has reappointed Vincent Chan and appointed Bernard Man as non-executive directors for two-year terms commencing on 1 August 2026. Chan, a venture capitalist, has served on the SFC board since 2020. Man, a lawyer based in Hong Kong, joins the board with experience in securities regulation, banking and corporate disputes. The SFC has also announced the departure of Victor Dawes from its board. Dawes served as a non-executive director for six years and was recognised by the government for his contributions to the development and regulation of Hong Kong’s securities and futures markets.
The European Securities and Markets Authority has appointed Peter Tkáč of the National Bank of Slovakia to its Management Board. Tkáč was elected at a meeting of ESMA’s Board of Supervisors on 30 June and succeeds Ante Žigman of the Croatian Financial Services Supervisory Agency (HANFA), whose mandate ended on 19 June. Tkáč will serve the remainder of the term until 31 March 2027, with the possibility of renewal.
Citi has appointed Will Harbaugh as Americas head of futures, clearing and foreign exchange prime brokerage. Harbaugh joins from BNY, where he served as head of US asset owner client experience within asset servicing. Prior to BNY, he spent more than 16 years at JP Morgan, holding a series of senior positions across derivatives clearing, collateral management and futures and options businesses. Earlier in his career, Harbaugh worked as a management consultant at the London Metal Exchange. He also joined the board of FIA Tech in May 2026.
UBS has expanded the role of Jason Barron, head of global markets, who will now also serve as AI transformation officer. Based in London, Barron will lead the implementation of the bank's artificial intelligence strategy across its investment banking franchise, spanning client activity, core processes and day-to-day decision-making. He has held a number of senior leadership positions at UBS, including head of global equities, global head of cash equities, and leader of the bank's global financing services and equity derivatives businesses.
BNP Paribas has appointed Kavi Gupta as head of FICC trading, Americas. Gupta joins the bankfrom Jain Global, where he was a senior portfolio manager. He previously spent more than 18 years at Bank of America and Bank of America Merrill Lynch in a variety of roles.
ABN AMRO Clearing has appointed Simon Dove as global head of business development and execution. Dove joins the bank from Instinet, where he spent more than five years as head of liquidity. Based in London, he brings more than two decades of experience across global financial markets. Prior to Instinet, he held senior liquidity management roles at Tower Research Capital Europe and spent almost seven years at Sun Trading International.
Deutsche Börse has extended Stephanie Eckermann’s executive board mandate by three years to May 2030. Eckermann joined the executive board in June 2024 and leads the group’s post-trading division, including Clearstream’s securities services and fund services businesses.
Marex has appointed John Mancuso as a senior relationship manager. Based in New York, Mancuso joined the firm in June from Macquarie Group, where he served as a senior vice president. Previously, he spent more than seven years at Société Générale as director of exchange-traded derivatives sales and execution and held roles at State Street Global Exchange and Deutsche Bank.
Barclays has appointed Scott Lucas as head of digital assets, wholesale. In this newly created role, he will lead the bank’s digital asset strategy for wholesale clients, covering areas including tokenised deposits, digital securities, and payments and settlement infrastructure. Lucas joins from JP Morgan, where he served as head of markets digital assets. Prior to that, he spent a decade in the treasury team of JP Morgan’s chief investment office and held a range of roles during nearly 12 years with the bank.
Barclays has also appointed Nick Field to its futures and options sales and trading business. Field joined the firm after more than 20 years at Bank of America, where he most recently served as EMEA head of FICC execution within the bank's futures division.
Mark Nichols has joined Broadridge as co-president, digital assets. In this role, he will lead the company’s strategy, product development and execution across tokenisation and digital assets alongside German Soto. Nichols joins from EY, where he was a partner and co-led the firm’s digital asset consulting business while also leading its market infrastructure consulting practice. Earlier in his career, he led product development across futures commission merchant, collateral and funding businesses within Deutsche Bank’s fixed income division.
K&L Gates has appointed Tamika Bent as a partner in its asset management and investment funds practice in New York. Bent joins from Willkie Farr & Gallagher. Previously, she served as chief counsel to former CFTC Commissioner Kristin Johnson, where she helped oversee the agency's work on issues including digital assets, artificial intelligence and prediction markets.
Rothera, the newly established prediction market backed by Robinhood and Susquehanna, has appointed Chicago-based Matthew Scharpf as senior director of business development. Scharpf joins the firm from Cboe Clear US, where he was director of business development. Earlier in his career, he held senior business development roles at Cboe Digital and Eurex, serving most recently at Eurex as deputy director of Americas fixed income funding, financing and clearing sales.
NinjaTrader has named Brian Weis as chief innovation and AI officer, a newly created role focused on the company’s artificial intelligence, prediction markets and emerging technology initiatives. Weis previously served as chief product officer and will lead the development of new AI-driven products and services. Stephen Yi has also joined NinjaTrader as chief product officer. Yi joins from Codal, where he served as managing director of product and engineering. He brings more than a decade of experience in the trading industry, including more than 10 years at Jump Trading, where he held a range of product and technology-focused roles.
CloudMargin has announced a series of senior management appointments and promotions as part of an organisational restructuring. Nico Busch has joined the firm as chief product officer and reports to Steven Marconi, president and chief operating officer. Busch joins from Xceptor, where he most recently served as head of product. Steven Marconi has been promoted to president and chief operating officer from chief operating officer. David White, chief commercial officer, has assumed responsibility for all aspects of the firm’s revenue growth strategy, including client success. Simon Millington, who joined CloudMargin in 2015 and most recently served as head of business development, has been appointed head of client success and partners and now reports to White.
Novig, a sports prediction market that recently obtained approval from the CFTC to operate as a designated contract market, has appointed Elie Mishory as chief regulatory and legal affairs officer. In this role, he will oversee the company’s regulatory, compliance and public policy functions as Novig expands its federally regulated sports prediction market platform. Mishory joins from Kalshi, where he served as chief regulatory officer and general counsel, leading the company’s legal and regulatory strategy and helping establish prediction markets as a regulated asset class. Prior to Kalshi, he held several roles at the CFTC, including within the Division of Market Oversight and as counsel to Commissioner Brian Quintenz. Most recently, he worked on government modernisation and operational efficiency initiatives at the SEC.
Crypto.com has appointed Iskandar Vanblarcum as managing director of the Crypto.com Exchange. Vanblarcum has more than 20 years of experience in investment banking and financial market infrastructure and has worked in the digital asset sector since 2021. Prior to joining Crypto.com, he held senior roles focused on institutional products, regulatory strategy and licensing initiatives across multiple jurisdictions. Earlier in his career, Vanblarcum held senior positions at London Stock Exchange and Barclays.
