Policy Forum 

# Criminal Code? DeFi, Illicit Finance, and the Future of Financial Freedom 

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Submit questions in the comment box on this page and join the conversation on social media using [\#CatoEcon](https://x.com/hashtag/CatoEcon). For event updates, follow [@CatoInstitute](https://x.com/catoinstitute) on X. If you have questions about the event or your registration, please email [events@​cato.​org](mailto:events@cato.org).

Date and Time 

July 10, 2024 10:30 - 11:30 AM EDT 

Location 

Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC 

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##### Featuring 

![Eric Alston](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2024-06/eric-alston.jpeg?itok=hDJD1sUr) 

Eric Alston 

Scholar in Residence and Faculty Director, Leeds School of Business, University of Colorado Boulder

[ 

](https://x.com/IncompleteRules) 

![Angela Angelovska-Wilson](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2024-06/Angela-Angelovska-Wilson.jpeg?itok=-Scpouhk) 

Angela Angelovska-Wilson 

Founding Partner, DLx Law

![Bill Hughes](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2024-06/bill-hughes.jpeg?itok=WkQ8WG-E) 

Bill Hughes 

Senior Counsel and Director of Global Regulatory Matters, Consensys

[ 

](https://twitter.com/BillHughesDC) 

![m-mosier-cropped.jpg](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2022-03/m-mosier-cropped.jpg?itok=x7znzswd) 

Michael Mosier 

Co-Founder, Arktouros PLLC

[ 

](https://twitter.com/M_Mosier_) 

[![New Jennifer Schulp cropped image](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2023-03/jennifer-schulp-cropped-2.jpg?itok=kdrnmhHr)](/people/jennifer-j-schulp) 

[Jennifer J. Schulp](/people/jennifer-j-schulp)

Former Director of Financial Regulation Studies, Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives, Cato Institute

[![Jack Solowey cropped](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2023-12/jack-solowey-cropped-1.jpg?itok=6fpRyXQw)](/people/jack-solowey) 

[Jack Solowey](/people/jack-solowey)

Former Policy Analyst, Center for Monetary and Financial Alternatives, Cato Institute

[ 

](https://x.com/JackSolowey) [ 

](mailto:jsolowey@cato.org) 

**IMPORTANT NOTE**: There are extensive street closures to both vehicular and pedestrian traffic around Cato during this event due to the nearby NATO Summit. 11th Street NW is the closest place for rideshare drop-offs. Please consult the MPD [interactive map](https://dcgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=b7c4f563fcdb4d8a9413309ed3843b7c) and allow additional time to account for traffic.

Decentralized finance (DeFi) has been accused of playing a disproportionate role in facilitating illicit finance, from funding terrorism to evading sanctions. Not only do these allegations misrepresent the evidence, but they also have been leveraged to justify policy proposals and enforcement actions that infringe on Americans’ financial freedom and threaten technological progress. How do we overcome the application of faulty narratives and outmoded anti-money laundering frameworks to DeFi? Can practical policy solutions preserve the rights to transact, develop software, and maintain financial privacy? And can DeFi technology itself provide remedies to long-standing policy challenges related to illicit finance? Please join us for an expert panel that will help to answer these questions and separate the signal from the noise.

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This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).