In this podcast, recorded on February 16th, 2024, Blockchain Journal editor-in-chief David Berlind interviews Boston Blockchain Association (BBA) Chairman Doug Mehne during a special event at the downtown Boston campus of Suffolk University. Mehne discusses the BBA's plans for 2024, highlighting its focus on institutional adoption, regulatory clarity, and educational initiatives. 

The conversation delves into the BBA's upcoming events, including a March 11, 2024, panel discussion featuring Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Commissioner Hester Peirce from representatives from major financial institutions like Fidelity and NASDAQ. Mehne emphasizes the importance of collaboration between industry players and regulators to establish responsible frameworks for blockchain and digital asset adoption. Additionally, he touches upon the challenges of navigating regulatory ambiguity and the BBA's role in advocating for clarity and fostering community within the blockchain industry.

Throughout the discussion, David and Mehne explore the motivations behind the Boston Blockchain Association's efforts, emphasizing the organization's commitment to blockchain education, advocacy, and community-building. They discuss a local academic environment that's highly unique to Boston, Massachusetts, with prominent universities like Harvard and MIT actively engaging in blockchain research and education.

To watch the video version of this podcast or read its full-text transcript, go to:
https://blockchainjournal.com/interview/comprehensive-series-blockchain-events-ontap-boston-blockchain-association-2024

The video can also be watched on Blockchain Journal's YouTube Channel at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og01tFslOf0

For information about the Boston Blockchain Association, please visit them at:
Web: https://bostonblockchainassociation.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boston-blockchain-association
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bostonblockchainassociatio5811

Comprehensive Series of Blockchain Events On-Tap For Boston Blockchain Association in 2024

In an interview during a Boston Blockchain Association event at the US Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Blockchain Journal editor-in-chief David Berlind speaks with Hester Peirce, one of five commissioners at the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Peirce first clarifies the SEC's mission, emphasizing its focus on protecting investors, fostering capital formation, and maintaining market integrity. She highlights the distinction between the SEC and other regulatory bodies like the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and stresses the importance of understanding the various regulatory frameworks to which businesses operating in the blockchain space are legally beholden. Those frameworks could involve local, state, and federal government organizations in the US as well as other government agencies in international jurisdictions.

As the discussion progresses, Peirce addresses concerns about the slow pace of regulatory developments in the crypto space, acknowledging the complexities that businesses face when it comes to achieving their blockchain ambitions at a time when legal clarity has yet to take form. Although she encourages caution while operating amid such regulatory uncertainty, she encourages engagement with regulators while advocating for a lighter regulatory hand when it comes to oversight of cryptocurrency and blockchain (a personally held belief that has informally earned her the nickname "Crypto Mom" in some industry circles). Peirce also delves into the potential applications of blockchain beyond cryptocurrency, and David asks about the possibility of blockchain's role in emissions data tracking, given the SEC's recent regulatory announcements regarding the disclosure of such data. Peirce was not in favor of those new regulations.

In response to David's questions about regulating blockchain and cryptocurrency on separate regulatory tracks, Peirce agrees with the need to take a more nuanced approach as opposed to painting blockchain (the platform) and cryptocurrency (an application that runs on that platform) with the same brush. Peirce emphasizes the importance of balancing regulatory oversight with market-driven solutions, hinting at the potential of self-regulation. Overall, the interview sheds light on the SEC's stance on blockchain regulation and underscores the need for collaboration between industry stakeholders and regulators to foster innovation while ensuring investor protection.

To watch the video version of this podcast or read its full-text transcript, go to:
https://blockchainjournal.com/interview/sec-commissioner-hester-peirce-we-need-a-more-nuanced-approach-regulating-crypto-and

The video can also be watched on Blockchain Journal's YouTube Channel at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nO2l5F0kq4s

For information about the Boston Blockchain Association, please visit them at:
Web: https://bostonblockchainassociation.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boston-blockchain-association
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bostonblockchainassociatio5811

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce: We Need a More Nuanced Approach to Regulating Crypto and Blockchain

In this special edition of the Blockchain Journal Podcast, Blockchain Journal brings you a recording of a "fireside chat" involving  Boston Blockchain Association (BBA) Chair Doug Mehne and Commissioner Hester Peirce of the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). 

A key focus of their conversation was Bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), their recent (January 2024) approval by the SEC, and the extraordinary amount of time it took for the SEC to finally clear the way for the ETFs to reach investors. At the time of publication, there were 11 such ETFs available on the public markets in the US. Peirce is regretful about the time it took and suggested that she might have taken a different approach had she known back in 2018 what she knows now. It's important to keep in mind that Peirce is one of five commissioners who vote on regulatory matters at the SEC and that she does not bear sole responsibility for the passage of any regulation at the SEC, crypto or otherwise.

Among the many topics they discuss, Peirce is keenly aware of the degree to which the lack of regulatory clarity when it comes to cryptocurrency and blockchain is causing American firms to hesitate with their innovations. She cited the ten-year period that elapsed between 2014, when ShapeShift AG first enabled crypto investors to trade certain cryptocurrencies for other cryptos, and 2023, when the SEC finally closed the books on its enforcement action against the Switerland-based company (for acting as an unregistered dealer of securities). Peirce noted how, even if it's through precedent enforcements of the sort that the SEC took against ShapeShift, ten years was too long to establish such precedents as legal guardrails for other American innovators to observe. It gave other crypto-permissive international jurisdictions an opportunity to not only establish a technological lead over the US but also to foreclose on participation by US companies. Despite her concerns, Peirce feels there is still time for the US to catch up.

An introduction from Blockchain Journal editor-in-chief David Berlind precedes Blockchain Journal's special presentation of the BBA's fireside chat.

To watch the video version of this podcast or read its full-text transcript, go to:
https://blockchainjournal.com/interview/us-sec-commissioner-peirce-says-its-not-too-late-us-catch-blockchain-innovation

The video can also be watched on Blockchain Journal's YouTube Channel at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=slFqO_JL-CM

For information about the Boston Blockchain Association, please visit them at:
Web: https://bostonblockchainassociation.com/ 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/boston-blockchain-association
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bostonblockchainassociatio5811

US SEC Commissioner Peirce: International Blockchain Innovation Comes at a "Cost To US Economy"

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New tracks tagged #HesterPeirce