Coindesk Logo

US Justice Department Holds Blockchain Summit in San Francisco

US Justice Department Holds Blockchain Summit in San Francisco

US Justice Department Holds Blockchain Summit in San Francisco

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) convened a first-of-its-kind conference on digital currency and the blockchain in San Francisco today.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) convened a first-of-its-kind conference on digital currency and the blockchain in San Francisco today.

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) convened a first-of-its-kind conference on digital currency and the blockchain in San Francisco today.

AccessTimeIconNov 10, 2015, 1:55 AM
Updated Aug 18, 2021, 4:21 PM

Presented By Icon

Election 2024 coverage presented by

Stand with crypto

The US Department of Justice (DOJ) convened a first-of-its-kind conference on digital currency and the blockchain in San Francisco today.

According to the agency, the goal of the event was to unite the private and public sector in discussions centered on strategies for limiting cybercrime perpetrated with the emerging technologies.

The unpublicized event, organized by the DOJ’s Digital Currency Task Force and held at the Federal Reserve Bank in San Francisco, saw 175 industry participants engage in panel discussions that sought to emphasize its core theme from the point of view of entrepreneurs, law enforcement officials and regulators.

Though no participants were named in formal release, Twitter images from the event show speakers included Xapo CEO Wences Casares, Coinbase founder Fred Ehrsam and Ripple CEO Chris Larsen, among others.

In remarks, US Attorney Brian J Stretch positioned the event as one that sought to forge a common ground between representatives of the government and the distributed financial technology sector:

“As emerging technologies such as digital currency and blockchains expand into new and legitimate applications, it becomes all the more critical for industry leaders and government agencies to share insights and perspectives in order to combat the illicit use of these technologies.”

Further addressing the need for dialogue was FinCEN Director Jennifer Shasky Calvery, who noted that despite her department’s early efforts to understand the industry, continued discussions are needed due to the evolving nature of the technology.

“We only opened the door for the hundreds of other questions beyond our anti-money laundering perspective,” Calvery said.

The event was previously hinted at by DOJ Digital Currency Crimes Coordinator Kathryn Haun in an interview with CoinDesk in September in which she spoke at length about the multi-agency task force and its goals.

At the time, Haun sought to stress that the US government was broadly seeking to engage the digital currency and blockchain industry in discussions that would provide clarity on key issues for all ecosystem participants.

Image via Coin Center

Disclosure

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information have been updated.

CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk has adopted a set of principles aimed at ensuring the integrity, editorial independence and freedom from bias of its publications. CoinDesk is part of the Bullish group, which owns and invests in digital asset businesses and digital assets. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive Bullish group equity-based compensation. Bullish was incubated by technology investor Block.one.


Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.