‘Crypto Dad’ Giancarlo Tapped by Jefferies as Senior Adviser

Christopher Giancarlo, the former Commodity Futures Trading Commission chairman known as “Crypto Dad” for his early embrace of digital assets, is joining Jefferies Financial Group Inc. as a senior adviser focused on investment banking.

Giancarlo, 67, led the CFTC during a period when the Chicago Board Options Exchange and CME Group Inc. first launched Bitcoin futures contracts, which enabled so-called self-certification of Bitcoin derivatives. During his tenure, he championed a more constructive regulatory approach toward cryptocurrency at a time when Washington remained largely skeptical of the nascent industry.

Giancarlo, who starts at Jefferies in July, said he expects ...