Blockchain and Cryptocurrency: People, Culture and Tech
Peirce pointed out that while “there have been calls for clarity for some time, a new administration brings the chance to take a fresh look, but it also is a moment where it seems others in the marketplace are also taking a fresh look.”
The Republican appointee praised cryptocurrency for making the principle that people have a fundamental right to voluntarily to engage in mutually beneficial transactions with one another more powerful than ever before in history.
One concern that the agency has with the regulation of cryptocurrency assets is that while promoters stress the advantages they bring by eliminating intermediaries, securities regulators have long worked with intermediaries in functions such as anti-money-laundering and are comfortable with them.
Ever since the agency’s crackdown on initial coin offerings, the only way to participate in the private capital markets used to raise money for startups is to meet the definition of an “accredited investor”—which boiled down to “be a millionaire” for individuals and “entities” with at least $5 million.
