Kevin Warsh just poached one of Scott Bessent’s top people. Samantha Schwab, who served as principal deputy chief of staff to the Treasury Secretary since April 2026, has been appointed as an adviser to the new Fed Chair, effective early July 2026.

The move, first reported by Bloomberg on July 1, signals Warsh’s intent to build a tighter operational bridge between the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department. For crypto markets, there’s a fun wrinkle: Schwab is the granddaughter of Charles Schwab, whose namesake brokerage launched spot Bitcoin and Ethereum trading in April 2026.

From Treasury to the Fed

Schwab’s career trajectory reads like a Washington insider’s playbook. She joined the Treasury Department in January 2025, working her way up to become Bessent’s principal deputy chief of staff roughly 15 months later. Before that, she served in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs during Trump’s first term and held roles on the Trump-Vance transition team.

Warsh, who was sworn in as the 17th Federal Reserve Chair in May 2026, had his Senate confirmation scrape through on a 54-45 vote, one of the narrower margins for a Fed Chair in recent memory. Since taking the helm, he’s been focused on institutional reforms and improving how the central bank communicates with the public and with other parts of the government.

The Schwab connection

Charles Schwab, the brokerage firm founded by Samantha’s grandfather, rolled out spot Bitcoin and Ethereum trading in April 2026. That made the firm one of the largest traditional brokerages to offer direct crypto exposure, a move that put digital assets on the same platform where millions of Americans already hold their retirement accounts and stock portfolios.

Samantha Schwab’s new role is not a crypto-specific appointment. She’s advising on broader Fed strategy and institutional coordination. It’s worth noting that the Fed’s mandate hasn’t changed and Warsh’s agenda centers on communication reforms and policy frameworks.