Taylor Lindman, a former high lawyer for Chainlink Labs, joined the US Securities and Change Fee (SEC) on Monday, 23 February 2026, as Chief Counsel for its Crypto Job Pressure. What does the rent say about Washington DC’s stance on crypto? This rent is greater than only a job itemizing for certain. It might sign the tip of the SEC guessing how crypto works.
The SEC launched a devoted cryptocurrency process power on 21 January 2025. The Crypto Job Pressure is basically the SEC’s particular operations unit for the trade. It investigates violations and helps decide which tokens are securities and which aren’t. Hiring a veteran from a serious decentralized infrastructure mission like Chainlink suggests the company is trying to deliver deep technical experience in-house.
SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce leads the Crypto Job Pressure. She is thought broadly as ‘Crypto Mother’ for her pro-innovation stance.
Peirce confirmed Lindman’s appointment publicly, welcoming him to the staff.
Welcome to our new Crypto Job Pressure Chief Counsel, Taylor Lindman, who joined the SEC right this moment. I predict nice issues!
— Hester Peirce (@HesterPeirce) February 23, 2026
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Taylor Lindman Isn’t From A Financial institution, He Is From DeFi
The Chief Counsel of the Crypto Job Pressure acts like the top referee’s advisor. Lindman will interpret the rulebook for the investigators trying into crypto tasks.
For years, the trade has complained that SEC legal professionals merely didn’t perceive the expertise they have been policing.
Lindman comes instantly from Chainlink Labs, the place he served as deputy basic counsel. So, Lindman isn’t coming from a financial institution; he’s coming from the technical trenches of decentralized finance (DeFi).
JUST IN: Taylor Lindman has been formally appointed as Chief Counsel of the @SECGov’s Crypto Job Pressure.
We thank Taylor for his nice 5 years as a key a part of the Chainlink Labs staff in his function as Deputy Normal Counsel. All of us sit up for modernizing the U.S. monetary… pic.twitter.com/puvZPeVcba
— Chainlink (@chainlink) February 23, 2026
Lindman takes over the function beforehand held by Michael Selig, who not too long ago moved to guide the Commodity Futures Buying and selling Fee (CFTC). This altering of the guard highlights the continued turf battles between crypto regulators, as company personnel shuffle between the SEC and CFTC whereas attempting to outline who controls which elements of the market.
Lindman’s arrival suggests a pivot towards “Venture Crypto,” a reported joint effort to modernize guidelines explicitly for digital belongings. As a substitute of attempting to power Nineteen Forties legal guidelines onto 2026 blockchains, a Chief Counsel with DeFi expertise is extra more likely to push for nuance. For instance, understanding {that a} governance token isn’t precisely like a inventory certificates.
Consultants view this as a maturation of the regulator. If the SEC understands how oracle networks and decentralized knowledge operate, they’re much less more likely to assault the infrastructure itself and extra more likely to concentrate on precise fraud.
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SEC Goes From Aggression To Comprehension
One of many largest areas the place comprehension is required, is ETFs. There have been hurdles for approval of latest crypto ETFs, past Bitcoin and Ethereum. And the SEC has been involved over market manipulation and custody.
Having a Chainlink veteran contained in the SEC is essential right here. Chainlink’s knowledge feeds are the trade commonplace for value accuracy. If the Chief Counsel can successfully clarify to the Fee how on-chain knowledge prevents manipulation, it removes a serious roadblock for future ETF approvals.
Whereas the Treasury Secretary pushes for the CLARITY Act to settle the legal guidelines as soon as and for all, Lindman’s function might be to make sure the SEC’s every day enforcement doesn’t break the trade within the meantime.
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Key Takeaways
Former Chainlink govt Taylor Lindman is now the highest lawyer for the SEC’s Crypto Job Pressure.
The rent indicators a shift away from blind enforcement towards rules constructed on technical understanding of DeFi and oracles.
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