The blockchain infrastructure company Securitize has appointed Brett Redfearn, a former U.S. SEC official, as president.
This comes at a time when several former regulators are stepping into leadership roles as the crypto sector seeks greater credibility.
Securitize strengthens the team ahead of the IPO
As president, Redfearn will work with Securitize's management team to scale the company's platform for issuance, trading, and fund administration, while also strengthening dialogue with regulators, exchanges, and institutional partners.
Redfearn is not new to Securitize. He has been chairman of the company's advisory board for the past four years, giving him in-depth knowledge of the business before he now takes on expanded responsibilities.
“Securitize is perfectly positioned to lead the development of the future tokenized financial infrastructure,” said Redfearn in a statement. “The company has had a compliance focus from the start, without taking shortcuts.”
In addition to experience from the SEC, Redfearn spent 14 years at JP Morgan and was head of capital markets at Coinbase.
Carlos Domingo, co-founder and CEO of Securitize, says Redfearn has been “crucial to how modern markets are structured and regulated,” adding that his experience will help ensure that the transition to tokenized infrastructure occurs with “the protection and integrity investors expect.”
The appointment comes as Securitize prepares for an IPO. The company has announced a proposed business merger with Cantor Equity Partners II, which is listed on Nasdaq.
From government leaders to industry insiders
Securitize's latest hire is the most recent in a series of high-profile regulatory appointments in the cryptocurrency industry.
Last month, the cryptocurrency exchange Backpack hired Mark Wetjen, former acting chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), as president of its U.S. operations.
Prior to that, former acting CFTC head Caroline Pham left the agency to become legal chief at cryptocurrency finance company MoonPay.
These appointments reflect a fundamental shift in the regulatory landscape in the U.S., where former officials have become highly valuable to the industry.
Under Trump, the SEC and CFTC went from being rivals in a jurisdictional battle to active co-regulators. In March, the two agencies signed a cooperation agreement and later issued joint, groundbreaking guidance for the classification of crypto assets.
This shift has made former leaders from both agencies some of the most sought-after hires in the industry. They bring with them institutional knowledge, established relationships, and credibility with the very regulators their new employers must persuade.
Critics, however, warn that this trend carries risks.
In May 2025, the Revolving Door Project claimed that the Blockchain Association's hiring of former CFTC commissioner Summer Mersinger went beyond rewarding a friendly regulator. The group warned that it could potentially be an attempt to gain control over the agency itself.
As crypto enters its most critical regulatory phase yet, it remains an open question where the line is drawn between those who make the rules and those who profit from them.