CFTC HAS NEW ACTING CHIEF ECONOMISTS

FROM:  COMMODITY FUTURES TRADING COMMISSION 
December 16, 2013
CFTC Announces Sayee Srinivasan as the Acting Chief Economist

Washington, DC — U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC or Commission) Chairman Gary Gensler today announced that Sayee Srinivasan has been named Acting Chief Economist.

“I am very pleased that such a talented economist as Sayee will lead the Office of the Chief Economist,” said Chairman Gensler. “Sayee’s work has been critical to bringing much-needed transparency to the swaps marketplace. His experience and market acumen will be very valuable as the Commission continues working to promote transparency in the derivatives markets.”

In his new role, Mr. Srinivasan will be responsible for leading the Commission’s efforts drafting policy and rule-making; advising the Chairman, Commission and senior staff on industry practices and CFTC policy implications; assisting the Commission in developing capacity to analyze swaps data; publishing the Weekly Swaps Reports and guiding research as it relates to market structure for futures and swap markets.”

“The derivatives markets are in a critical stage of transition from over-the-counter to regulated platforms,” said Mr. Srinivasan. “I am excited for the opportunity to work with the talented CFTC staff and with other agencies to leverage new data sources to track and improve our understanding of these markets.”

Mr. Srinivasan joined the Commission in 2012 in the Office of the Chief Economist. He has already made critical contributions on policy and rule development on issues pertaining to the market structure of futures and swaps markets. Prior to joining the Commission, he worked with the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, the Bombay Stock Exchange, the National Stock Exchange of India, and OptiMark Technologies focusing on market and product design, trading rules, and business development across a broad range of asset classes, and both cash and derivatives markets. His research interest includes regulatory policy development on issues related to pre-trade, trade, and post trade technology, systems, processes and risk management.

Mr. Srinivasan has a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin. He has a B.A. in Accounting and an M.A. in Finance from University of Bombay (now University of Mumbai).