# Crypto regulator shrinks as markets expand

> CFTC staff cuts and enforcement drops as crypto and prediction markets grow.
- Title: Crypto regulator shrinks as markets expand · NPR | Shortify
- Summary: CFTC staff cuts and enforcement drops as crypto and prediction markets grow. The CFTC has 21% fewer staff and nearly 80% fewer enforcement actions since…
- Keywords: commodity futures trading commission, crypto, prediction markets, cftc, trump administration, enforcement actions, staff reductions, financial regulation, politics, news, regulator, shrinks
- Source: NPR — https://npr.org/2026/10/08/nx-s1-5903204/crypto-prediction-markets-cftc-weakens
- Published: 2026-10-08T00:00:00+00:00
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: commodity futures trading commission, crypto, prediction markets, cftc, trump administration, enforcement actions, staff reductions, financial regulation, politics, news
## CFTC staff cuts
The CFTC has 21% fewer staff on its payroll compared to the previous 10-year average, according to U.S. Office of Personnel Management data.
## Enforcement actions drop
The CFTC made nearly 80% fewer enforcement actions in 2025 compared to the annual average for the previous decade, according to agency reports.
## Trump-era staff reductions
Trump-era staff reductions have significantly hampered enforcement at the CFTC and its ability to regulate crypto and prediction markets where hundreds of billions are traded weekly.
## CFTC enforcement lawyer
Jeff Le Riche, a former CFTC enforcement lawyer, said the Trump administration's crypto-friendly platform led to staff cuts and reduced enforcement actions.
## CFTC enforcement cases
The CFTC under Biden leveled enforcement cases against crypto firms like Gemini, Mirror Trading, Voyager, Celsius, and FTX for fraud, including Polymarket.
## CFTC staff cuts impact
After Trump took office, the CFTC rolled back enforcement actions against crypto firms and dismissed other cases like a foreign exchange fraud against WorldWideMarkets Inc.
## CFTC enforcement weakened
Former CFTC lawyer Joe Konizeski said enforcement was 'castrated' and crypto cases were closed, leading to more fraud in prediction markets.
## CFTC chair Michael Selig
CFTC chair Michael Selig celebrated the agency's slowdown in enforcement actions during a White House event with crypto industry leaders.
## Selig's crypto focus
Selig argued the U.S. needs to 'dominate' crypto and prediction markets and 'write the rules that define the next generation of financial markets.'
## CFTC staffing challenges
The CFTC is 16% below its decade-average workforce and has 100 staffers short, struggling to execute Trump's 2025 crypto executive order.
## CFTC rulemaking
The CFTC has greenlit six prediction markets in 2025 and authorized another six this year with 18 applications pending.
## CFTC rulemaking without Congress
After the Senate failed to advance a major crypto regulation bill, the CFTC announced it will make its own rules without congressional input.
## GAO investigation
The Government Accountability Office is investigating the CFTC's workforce reduction, with a probe to start in December.
## CFTC staffing outlook
The CFTC plans to hire roughly 100 employees in mission critical areas by the end of 2026 to address staffing gaps.
## Key takeaway

The CFTC has 21% fewer staff and nearly 80% fewer enforcement actions since Trump took office, weakening oversight of crypto and prediction markets.