Previewing the Regulatory Panels at Consensus 2022

We’ll be in Austin, Texas this week for CoinDesk’s Consensus 2022. Regulators and lawmakers will be out in force to discuss how they’re approaching the rapidly growing cryptocurrency sector.

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Austin party

The narrative

Hey folks. CoinDesk’s Consensus 2022, our first IRL event since 2019, kicks off this week. I previewed our regulatory track earlier this week, which you can read below. We also have panels discussing central bank digital currencies and discussions addressing a whole range of issues in various parts of the crypto world.

Why it matters

It’s finally here! Say hi if you’re in town, and if you see me in the hallways of the Austin Convention Center, ask me for a CoinDesk sticker.

Breaking it down

It is going to be a WEEK y’all. Regular readers of this newsletter might enjoy a few of the panels we have.

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission – a regulatory agency we’ve talked about quite a bit in recent months – will start things off on Thursday, June 9, at 10:05 a.m. CT, with Chair Rostin Behnam and former Commissioner Dawn Stump discussing the regulator’s role in the sector.

Advocates for different approaches to central bank digital currencies and similar types of payment tools will likewise take the stage at the Fairmont Hotel to try and find an answer to the question, “Who should be allowed to issue digital dollars?” Hear from Dante Disparte, the chief strategy officer at stablecoin issuer Circle; Rohan Grey, an academic who advised on the ECASH Act; and Caitlin Long, the founder and CEO of Wyoming’s Custodia Bank.

On Friday, June 10, we’ll host a Q&A session with Deputy Treasury Secretary Adewale Adeyemo at 10:45 a.m. CT on the Main Stage of the Austin Convention Center. The Treasury Department has been active in crypto over the past 18 months, looking at issues ranging from ransomware payments to stablecoin regulation.

Reminder: I’m looking for questions for Mr. Adeyemo! If you have one, send it to me via email.

The “Regulation” exploration, taking place in the ACC Ballroom A on Friday, June 10 at 1 p.m. CT, will feature three panels with representatives from the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, industry associations and law firms steeped in cryptocurrency issues. Panelists will discuss finding a regulatory “sweet spot” to support novel projects while still mitigating the chances of another project collapsing in a dramatic fashion and harming investors.

We’re looking for questions for this panel, too! Same deal as above – shoot me an email folks.

On the same day, at 2:30 p.m. CT, we’ll host several lawmakers on our Main Stage to discuss crypto legislation, the likelihood of any specific legislation passing and what issues Congress sees as the most vital in the cryptocurrency sector.

We’ll continue the discussion on crypto policy and borders Saturday at 4:05 p.m. CT in the Convention Center, with White House Director for Cybersecurity Carole House, Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis, Monetary Authority of Singapore Chief FinTech Officer Sopnendu Mohanty and European Parliament Vice President Eva Kaili.

You can get the tl;dr on other sessions through our Road to Consensus series, such as our guide on the CBDC panels.

By the way, lest you think this is all that’s going on this week: On Tuesday, June 7 at 10 a.m. ET, the Senate Homeland Security Committee will hold a hearing on ransomware and cryptocurrency, while the House Homeland Security Committee subcommittee on Intelligence and Counterterrorism will hold a hearing on terrorism and crypto Thursday, June 9, at 9 a.m. ET.

Biden’s rule

Changing of the guard

Oh jeez this is a busy week huh.

Elsewhere:

• Cawthorn’s Crypto Wallet Reveals Undisclosed Trades Amid House Ethics Investigation: CoinDesk’s Danny Nelson took a look at what we know about U.S. Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.) and his undisclosed crypto holdings and identified his wallet and trades.
• New York State Senate Passes Bitcoin Mining Moratorium: The New York state Senate passed a bill that would impose a two-year moratorium on bitcoin mining powered by behind-the-meter carbon-based energy sources during a (really) late night session.
• Environmentalists Target Greenidge as They Turn Up Pressure on NY Governor to Sign Mining Moratorium Bill: The New York Assembly already passed the bill, meaning it now sits before Governor Kathy Hochul. The bill’s sponsors and advocates held a press conference to discuss it on Friday.

Outside CoinDesk:

• (Hard Drive) Shoutout to whoever was running Hard Drive’s Twitter feed just at that moment.
• (Bloomberg) The White House will publish a policy recommendation addressing the energy concerns around crypto mining in the coming weeks, Bloomberg reported.
• (BuzzFeed News) Some folks tried to make a Goblintown NFT collection knockoff which was in turn hijacked, apparently.

If you’ve got thoughts or questions on what I should discuss next week or any other feedback you’d like to share, feel free to email me at [email protected] or find me on Twitter @nikhileshde.

You can also join the group conversation on Telegram.

See y’all next week!