The Blockchain Association announced on Friday that former CFTC Commissioner Summer Mersinger will step down as CEO on October 16 and leave the association by the end of the year. Former head Kristin Smith will serve as interim CEO.

BA highlighted GENIUS Act advocacy and regulatory clarity at SEC and CFTC

The association noted Mersinger's efforts to advance the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS Act) and her contribution to promoting "regulatory clarity" at the SEC and CFTC. "I came from the CFTC because I believed this industry needs clear rules and a single, trusted voice in Washington," Mersinger said in her resignation announcement.

CLARITY vote failure leaves bill in limbo

The association's release did not mention the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (CLARITY), currently in the Senate, which BA had previously supported. Earlier this month, the bill failed to secure votes from both Democrats and Republicans during the cloture procedure, and many experts expect the initiative to remain in limbo until 2027.

Context: Mersinger's move to BA in 2025

Mersinger joined the Blockchain Association in June 2025 after leaving the CFTC three years before the end of her second term as commissioner. The association did not disclose Mersinger's plans for 2027.