Policy Series: How to Combat Illicit Finance Without Killing DeFi | Rebecca Rettig & Miller Whitehouse-Levine

In today's episode, Santi is joined by Rebecca Rettig and Miller Whitehouse to update us on the latest policy concerns impacting crypto. They cover the origins of the DeFi Education Fund and the realities of educating regulators on the novelty of DeFi. They then shift gears and discuss onchain illicit activity that exists, how to find a compromise between permissionless systems and state control, the role stablecoins like USDC play, and reactions to the SEC’s proposed dealer rule that threatens DeFi participation. Rebecca breaks down her recently published paper “Genuine DeFi as Critical Infrastructure” offering a conceptual framework for regulation that leverages DeFi’s transparency while allowing permissionless systems to thrive. Stay tuned for all of this and much more!

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This episode is brought to you by Chainalysis.

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Timestamps

(0:00) Origin of DeFi Education Fund

(6:10) DeFi Regulatory Framework Paper

(12:35) Educating Regulators

(17:45) Onchain Illicit Activity 

(28:59) Chainalysis Ad

(30:04) Compromise for States

(41:52) How Important is US Policy

(51:17) Role of Coinbase & Circle

(1:00:42) SEC Proposed Rule

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Resources

Paper

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4607332

DeFi Education Fund

https://www.defieducationfund.org/

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Disclaimer: Nothing said on Empire is a recommendation to buy or sell securities or tokens. This podcast is for informational purposes only, and any views expressed by anyone on the show are solely our opinions, not financial advice. Santiago, Jason, and our guests may hold positions in the companies, funds, or projects discussed.