SUI Group Holdings (SUIG), a Nasdaq-listed company connected to the Sui blockchain ecosystem, announced on Tuesday the appointment of Brian Quintenz, a former commissioner of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), as an independent director to its board. The appointment became effective on January 5, 2026.
Quintenz will also serve on the board's audit committee. His addition brings the board to five members, three of whom are now considered independent under Nasdaq listing standards. This move follows the transition of SUI Group's CFO, Joseph A. Geraci II, from a board seat to a board observer role.
The appointment is strategically linked to SUI Group's treasury strategy centered on the SUI token. The company disclosed it held approximately 108 million SUI tokens in its treasury as of November 12, 2025, underscoring the financial and regulatory significance of robust audit oversight. Marius Barnett, Chairman of the SUI Group board, stated in the release, "Brian is a widely respected leader in the digital asset industry, with a rare combination of capital markets expertise, regulatory credibility, and deep infrastructure knowledge. His decision to join our board and support our SUI treasury strategy represents a meaningful validation of both SUIG and the long-term potential of the Sui ecosystem."
Quintenz brings substantial regulatory experience, having served as a CFTC commissioner after being nominated by Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump and confirmed unanimously by the Senate. During his tenure, he was involved in overseeing derivatives markets, financial technology, and the early regulation of Bitcoin futures. More recently, he was the global head of policy at a16z crypto, Andreessen Horowitz's digital asset arm. He currently also serves on the board of Kalshi, a CFTC-regulated prediction markets platform, and is an advisor to Ubyx, a stablecoin clearing system for institutional clients.
This corporate move follows the withdrawal of Quintenz's nomination by the White House in September 2025 to run the CFTC, which ended a month-long confirmation battle. Subsequently, Michael Selig was confirmed as the new CFTC Chairman in December.
Market reaction saw SUIG shares decline by 2.2% on the day of the announcement, while the SUI token continued its 2026 rally, gaining 14% over the preceding 24 hours. SUI Group maintains a formal relationship with the Sui Foundation and describes its focus as building an institutional-grade digital asset treasury platform while continuing its specialty finance operations.
