Global law firm Mayer Brown has appointed Danielle Abada, a former senior official at the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), as a partner in its Capital Markets practice in New York according to a report by PR Newswire. 

Abada joins from the CFTC, where she served as Senior Special Counsel in the Market Participants Division, having previously held the position of Senior Counsel to Commissioner Kristin N Johnson. 

During her tenure at the regulator, Abada advised on legal, regulatory and policy matters affecting CFTC-regulated entities, including developments in digital assets, blockchain technology, prediction markets, event contracts and artificial intelligence. 

Prior to joining the CFTC, Abada worked in private practice, advising financial institutions, fintech companies, hedge funds, investment managers and proprietary trading firms on derivatives, securities regulation, compliance and transactions. 

Her experience also includes advising banks, swap dealers, broker-dealers and exchanges on regulatory requirements and emerging financial technologies. 

At Mayer Brown, Abada will work alongside the firm's Derivatives & Structured Products and Fintech teams, advising clients on regulatory and transactional matters across traditional and digital asset markets. 

Jon Van Gorp, Chair of Mayer Brown, said Abada's regulatory experience would support clients navigating changes in derivatives and digital asset regulation amid continued market innovation.