SEC Names Chainlink's Taylor Lindman as Crypto Task Force Chief Counsel

The Securities and Exchange Commission has appointed Taylor Lindman — most recently deputy general counsel at Chainlink — as the new chief counsel of its SEC Crypto Task Force, filling the vacancy left by Michael Selig. The move, announced on February 23 via Chainlink's official social channels, brings a crypto industry insider with deep expertise in token taxonomy and Chainlink regulatory compliance directly into the agency's regulatory architecture.

Who Is Taylor Lindman? Chainlink's Regulatory Expert Joins SEC

Who is Taylor Lindman?

Taylor Lindman served as deputy general counsel at Chainlink for five years, building one of the more specialized regulatory compliance portfolios in the digital asset industry. His responsibilities spanned U.S. and international jurisdiction oversight, counsel on token-related and smart contract matters, and direct engagement with policymakers on digital asset classification and securities record-keeping requirements.

Crucially, Lindman was the primary liaison between Chainlink and the SEC during a March 2025 meeting with the Crypto Task Force — a session focused specifically on token taxonomy standards and digital asset record-keeping protocols. That hands-on familiarity with the Task Force's working priorities makes him a notably well-positioned appointment for the chief counsel role.

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Why This Matters: Replacing Michael Selig at a Critical Moment

Lindman steps into a seat vacated by Michael Selig, who has moved on to chair the Commodity Futures Trading Commission — a transition that itself signals tightening coordination between the CFTC and SEC on digital asset policy. Filling the chief counsel position was urgent given the Task Force's packed 2026 agenda, which includes advancing a tokenized securities framework, clarifying crypto registration pathways, and overseeing the Depository Trust Company's tokenization pilot program.

Lindman joins a team already staffed with crypto industry veterans. Landon Zinda, previously a policy director at Coin Center, serves as a senior advisor on the Task Force. Veronica Reynolds, another senior advisor with prior experience at BakerHostetler, contributes deep digital assets and Web3 legal expertise. The combination underscores the Task Force's deliberate strategy of recruiting practitioners over theorists.

The SEC Crypto Task Force Mission: Shifting Away from Enforcement

What is the SEC Crypto Task Force?

The SEC Crypto Task Force was formally established in January 2025 under the leadership of Commissioner Hester Peirce, whose reputation as a consistent crypto advocate has earned her the "Crypto Mom" designation in the industry. The Task Force's founding mandate was explicit: develop comprehensive digital asset regulatory frameworks and steer the SEC away from the enforcement-first approach that critics argued was suppressing legitimate innovation.

Since its formation, the Task Force has held a series of public roundtables and open industry forums to gather input directly from market participants. Its 2026 priorities include token taxonomy and digital asset classification, registration pathway development for crypto projects, and engagement with the SEC's January 28, 2026 statement on tokenized securities — a landmark policy signal that Lindman will now help operationalize.

What Lindman's Appointment Means for Crypto Regulation Going Forward

Lindman's background in oracle networks, smart contracts, and token taxonomy directly addresses the technical depth the Task Force needs to credibly engage with the crypto industry's most complex regulatory questions. His appointment also reinforces the SEC's broader philosophical shift: away from reactive enforcement and toward informed, proactive rulemaking informed by people who have operated inside the industry.

For Chainlink (LINK) holders and the broader crypto regulation 2026 landscape, the appointment signals that the SEC intends to build its legal strategy on technical fluency rather than institutional distance. Whether that translates into faster registration approvals, clearer token classification guidance, or a more predictable compliance environment will become evident as the Task Force's 2026 agenda takes shape.