Ex-CFTC leader to leave Blockchain Association after CLARITY vote fails

Former CFTC Commissioner Summer Mersinger will leave the Blockchain Association after the Senate CLARITY Act failed to advance. The organization announced that Mersinger would step down as CEO on Oct. 16. Kristin Smith, the group's former chief executive, will return as interim CEO. Mersinger joined the Blockchain Association in June 2025 after leaving the CFTC three years before her second term was scheduled to end. The organization cited her work on the GENIUS Act and regulatory clarity at the SEC and CFTC. The CLARITY Act failed to gain enough Democratic and Republican votes in a Senate cloture motion earlier this month. Many experts expect the legislation to remain in limbo until 2027. Mersinger said she joined the organization because she believed the industry needed clear rules and a unified voice in Washington.