Named experts · Practitioner profile
Heath Tarbert
Circle Internet Financial ↗ · United States, European Union
★ Editor's Watch — Stablecoin issuance, Non-EU crypto, MiCA CASP
About Heath
Heath Tarbert is Chief Legal Officer of Circle Internet Financial — the issuer of USDC, one of the largest USD-pegged stablecoins globally. Before joining Circle in 2021, Tarbert served as Chairman of the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) from 2019 to 2021, where he oversaw US derivatives regulation during a period of substantial crypto-asset framework development. His move from CFTC Chair to Circle is one of the highest-profile regulator-to-industry transitions in US crypto policy and gives Circle institutional regulator-side insight that has shaped USDC's compliance positioning under MiCA, the GENIUS Act, and global stablecoin frameworks.
Editor's note
Regulator-to-industry transition from CFTC Chair to Circle CLO. Bridges institutional US derivatives regulation insight with stablecoin issuer compliance positioning.
Practice fields
Credentials
- Chief Legal Officer, Circle Internet Financial (since 2021)
- Chairman, US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) 2019-2021
- Acting Under Secretary, US Department of the Treasury (International Affairs)
- Adjunct Professor, Georgetown University Law Center
Jurisdictions
Sources
Every entry on this page is sourced from public records. The references below are the evidence base for the practitioner's expertise claims.
- Circle — Leadership Team — firm bio
- CFTC — Heath P. Tarbert Chairman Biography (archived) — regulator
- Bloomberg — Tarbert Joining Circle from CFTC — industry press
Relevant guides
Knowledge-base coverage that overlaps with Heath's practice (United States, European Union · Stablecoin issuance, Non-EU crypto, MiCA CASP).
Crypto KYC · CASP operational compliance
Crypto KYC Requirements 2026 — CASP Operational Compliance Guide
Crypto KYC requirements operate at the intersection of MiCA, AMLR, FATF guidance, and national AML frameworks. The compliance build for CASP…
EU crypto sanctions · CASP compliance
EU Crypto Sanctions Framework 2026 — CASP Compliance Guide
EU crypto sanctions framework operates through the EU consolidated sanctions list, sectoral Russia/Belarus rules, country embargoes, and OFA…
FATF Travel Rule · Global crypto standard
FATF Travel Rule 2026 — Crypto Global Standard Practitioner Guide
FATF Travel Rule Recommendation 16 sets the global crypto-asset transfer originator-and-beneficiary information standard. EU implements via …
US stablecoin · GENIUS Act + SEC framework
SEC Stablecoin Regulation USA 2026 — GENIUS Act and Federal Framework
US federal stablecoin regulation moved from concept to enacted framework through 2024-2026. The GENIUS Act provides the federal regulatory b…
Latvia vs Estonia · Baltic CASP comparison
Latvia vs Estonia CASP Licence Compared 2026 — Practitioner View
Latvia and Estonia are both Baltic EU member states with MiCA CASP frameworks, English-friendly operational reality, and budget-tier cost pr…
Crypto brokerage · OTC desk · MiCA services
Crypto Broker License 2026 — OTC Desk and Brokerage Under MiCA
A crypto broker license under MiCA is built from CASP services — reception and transmission of orders, execution, and placing for an agency …