What Led Robinhood’s Dan Gallagher To Step Out From US SEC Chair Race?

Robinhood Chief Legal Officer (CLO) Dan Gallagher had before now been one of the top candidates to become the next US Securities and Exchange (SEC) Chair, replacing Gary Gensler. However, following a recent development, the CLO is no longer in the running for the position.

Dan Gallagher No Longer In Race For US SEC Chair Position

The Robinhood CLO is no longer running to become the next US SEC Chair following his statement to CNBC that he has made it clear to relevant people that he is not interested in being considered for the role.

Dan Gallagher has been one of the leading candidates to replace the current US SEC Chair, Gary Gensler. However, his recent statement has put top bed speculations that he could replace Gensler.

It is worth mentioning that the Robinhood CLO is no stranger to the Commission as he once served as a Republican SEC Commissioner between 2011 and 2015. As such, he seemed to be a perfect replacement for Gensler. Moreover, a Gallagher-led SEC would be a big win for the crypto industry since he is familiar with it, having served as Robinhood’s CLO and helped them navigate their lawsuit with the Commission.

Dan Gallagher isn’t the first to outrightly reject the SEC position role. Former Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chair Chris Giancarlo also recently said that he has no plans to become the next US SEC Chair despite his name coming up.

With Gallagher and Giancarlo out of the race, pro-crypto Paul Atkins is leading the race to replace Gary Gensler. Atkins is also a former Republican SEC Commissioner. Robert Stebbins is another name in the mix.

How The US SEC Can Align With Donald Trump’s Vision

Amid Dan Gallagher’s recent statement, US SEC Commissioner Mark Uyeda has discussed what the Commission needs to do to ensure that it aligns with Donald Trump’s vision to make the US the crypto capital. First, Uyeda stated that the SEC must provide regulatory clarity as not all cryptos are securities.

Secondly, the US SEC Commissioner called for safe harbors and regulatory sandboxes to allow for innovation in the crypto industry. Lastly, he said that the Commission needs to work with the US Congress and other regulatory agencies to ensure a “cohesive and comprehensive” approach for crypto.

Boluwatife Adeyemi