Author: Vickie Helm

In recent months, the Secretary of the Currency (OCC) Federal Office has shown a more acceptable regulatory stance on national banks and federal savings associations (collectively known as banks) engaged in crypto assets activities. “I will continue to work diligently to ensure that regulations are effective and not overloaded while maintaining a strong federal banking system,” said the deputy chief of currency Rodney E. Hood earlier this year.On March 7th, the OCC officially began to begin a transition from a Biden-era approach to regulating banks’ crypto asset activities through the issuance of interpretations. Through this interpretation, the OCC has revoked…

Blockchain Analytics Firm Arkham Intelligence has launched a new tagging system on its platform, allowing users to track cryptocurrency transactions of influential people in the cryptocurrency space.The feature, announced in the X post, applies to people with over 100,000 followers on the microblog platform, labeling them as “key opinion leaders” or KOLS, and linking the associated wallet addresses.The new tag currently has 950 addresses. Among those identified are Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, Crypto Antrepreneur Justin Sun, Binance founder and former CEO Changpeng Zhao, Yomen Finance, Sonic Labs co-founder Andre Cronje, and US President Donald Trump.

Virtually every bitcoiner might think they are excited by the concept of the US government obtaining BTC (and perhaps a basket of other crypto assets) and effectively ratifying it as a resultant global asset. But I count myself among a few holdouts where development is not considered positive for Bitcoin or the US government itself. There are eight reasons why you don’t support policies.What you can do is easily revertIf Bitcoiners want to sustain the reserve, they should want Trump to seek Congressional approval for the purchase (as is customary due to large spending). If it was done solely by…

Dear President-elect Trump,In your keynote address at the Bitcoin conference in Nashville last year, you promised to make the United States the crypto capital of the world if re-elected to a second term. As you return to the Oval Office this Monday, we write to you as practicing members of the Cryptocurrency Law Bar to recommend regulatory policies that will help achieve that goal.The United States, built on the same foundation of individual freedom as cryptocurrencies, is naturally in a position to lead the world in the development of cryptocurrencies. Unfortunately, U.S. regulators have so far refused to adapt (or…

As federal agencies prepare for new executive leadership, unclear ethics rules threaten to hamper the incoming Trump administration’s ability to develop sound digital asset policies. Legal Advisory 22-04, issued by the Office of Government Ethics in 2022, received little attention as part of the Biden administration’s restrictive approach to cryptocurrencies. But the impact could be severe, effectively barring anyone who holds cryptocurrencies, tokens, or stablecoins from federal government services.This will be an immediate challenge for the incoming administration, which has pledged to restore America’s competitiveness in financial innovation. Key agencies such as the Treasury Department, SEC, CFTC, and Federal Reserve…

Autonomous robots may sound like a science fiction concept decades away, but large-scale language models and generative AI are enabling machines to plan, learn, and think. More than that, the same software that can win Math Olympiads and write novels can also control physical robots, allowing a single digital persona to operate across the digital and physical worlds. This means that the robots that walk around your neighborhood or work with you will have consistent opinions and actions on X/Twitter, in prediction markets, and in the real world.But there is a big gap. How do we integrate thinking machines into…

On November 6th, I wrote a memo to EY’s blockchain leadership team. The headline was simple: “All private blockchains are gone.” Since November 2022, the crypto and blockchain market has been defined by caution and gradual recovery. The direction is consistent and positive, but slow, especially in 2023.2024 will see a slow but sustained acceleration. The year started with Bitcoin Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) and continued to accelerate through Ethereum ETFs and the adoption of the EU’s Market in Cryptocurrency (MiCA) law.We are on a path of steady global regulatory convergence, including rules of the road for all major crypto…

Over the past year, the cryptocurrency industry has attracted users at an exponential scale, with monthly active addresses tripling from 70 million in 2023 to more than 220 million in 2024. With over 300 chains listed, the ecosystem should be able to meet your needs. Continuously support all types of users. However, in this vast environment, the majority of activity and liquidity is locked within multiple Ethereum Layer 2s.Ethereum in its current state is reminiscent of Europe in the early 1500s, which experienced breakthroughs such as the printing press and advanced shipbuilding that enhanced resource management. Currently, Ethereum’s thriving DeFi…

Crypto Twitter is being overrun by sentient, well-informed chatbots that respond at browser-refreshing speeds and can sustain hundreds of simultaneous conversations without missing a beat. For many, the rise of these on-chain agents is a welcome upgrade from human influencers like BitBoy and GCR, which have varying track records and opaque incentives. Like on-chain analyst AIXBT, these agents quickly rose to the top of crypto Twitter influencer mindshare rankings due to their ability to respond at internet speed and use data to justify their opinions. Ta.Currently, AIXBT is one of the few agents trading at nine-digit valuations, but with utility-focused…

The past four years have focused on the fight for the survival of the U.S. crypto industry. Against a hostile administration and unprecedented legal action, the industry fought back bravely and won.But now the industry faces a more pressing challenge: helping develop the laws and policies that will govern the industry for decades to come. The core of this struggle is the issue of “decentralization.”Simply put, decentralization is about distributing control and decision-making, removing the need for a central authority and ensuring users more choice, transparency, security, and resilience. It may sound technical, but decentralization is a core premise of…