Cryptocurrency: The Policy Challenges of a Decentralized Revolution

Conference
April 12, 2016 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM EDT

Hayek Auditorium

Crypto Currency
Cryptocurrencies and blockchain technologies, like Bitcoin, are revolutionizing the way we think about government currency monopolies, transferring money across the globe, maintaining financial privacy and security, and verifying ownership of money or potentially everything. Their place in society and the financial system is rapidly expanding and with it a host of hopes, questions, and risks. Will they provide financial security outside of government systems, or will consumers be unprotected from losses? Will they ensure financial privacy or enable criminal activity? Will they replace central banking or serve as a new tool for monetary management? And will government regulations encourage, discourage, or remain neutral to these emerging and transformative technologies? Join us for a day-long conference considering the policy implications of the decentralized cryptocurrency revolution.

Schedule

8:30 – 9:00AM REGISTRATION
9:00 – 9:10AM WELCOME

George Selgin, Director, Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives, Cato Institute
9:10 – 9:30AM CRYPTOCURRENCY & PUBLIC POLICY: WHERE THINGS STAND

Jerry Brito, Executive Director, Coin Center
9:30 – 10:30AM PANEL I — THE CONSUMER PROTECTION CHALLENGE

Margaret Liu, Senior Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Conference of State Bank Supervisors
Marco A. Santori, Partner, Pillsbury Winthrop and Global Policy Counsel, Blockchain
Melanie Shapiro, PhD, CEO, Case
Dana Syracuse, Counsel, BuckleySandler, LLP, and former Associate General Counsel, New York Department of Financial Services

Moderated by Peter Van Valkenburgh, Director of Research, Coin Center
10:30 – 10:50AM BREAK
10:50 – 11:30AM KEYNOTE ADDRESS

Commissioner J. Christopher Giancarlo, U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission
11:30AM – 12:30PM PANEL II — THE FINANCIAL SERVICES CHALLENGE:
PERMISSIONED AND PERMISSIONLESS BLOCKCHAINS

Paul L. Chou, CEO, LedgerX
Jacob Farber, General Counsel, R3CEV
Joseph Lubin, Founder, ConsenSys and Co-founder, Ethereum Project
Ryan Zagone, Director, Regulatory Relations, Ripple

Moderated by Marc Hochstein, Editor in Chief, American Banker
12:30 – 1:20PM LUNCH
1:20 – 2:00PM LUNCHEON ADDRESS

Patrick Byrne, Founder and CEO, Overstock.com and Founder, tØ
2:00 – 3:00PM PANEL III — THE MONETARY CHALLENGE

Perianne M. Boring, Founder and President, Chamber of Digital Commerce
Eli Dourado, Research Fellow and Director, Technology Policy Program, Mercatus Center at George Mason University
William J. Luther, Assistant Professor of Economics, Kenyon College and Adjunct Scholar, Cato Institute

Moderated by George Selgin, Director, Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives, Cato Institute
3:00 – 3:20PM BREAK
3:20 – 4:20PM PANEL IV — THE 4TH AMENDMENT CHALLENGE:
FINANCIAL PRIVACY & FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Andrea Castillo, Program Manager, Technology Policy Program, Mercatus Center at George Mason University
Jim Harper, Senior Fellow, Cato Institute
Eric Lorber, Senior Associate, Financial Integrity Network
Zooko Wilcox-O’Hearn, Founder and CEO, Zcash

Moderated by Jerry Brito, Executive Director, Coin Center
4:20 – 5:00PM CLOSING ADDRESS

Hon. Mick Mulvaney, Vice Chairman, Subcommittee on Monetary Policy and Trade, U.S. House of Representatives
5:00 – 6:00PM RECEPTION
 
If you can’t make it to the event, you can watch it live online at www.cato.org/live and join the conversation on Twitter using #CryptoCato. Follow @CatoEvents on Twitter to get future event updates, live streams, and videos from the Cato Institute.