Mike Pieciak: NASAA – A “To The Moon” Approach to Regulating Crypto

We're joined by Mike Pieciak, President of the NASAA. Not to be confused with the space agency, the North American Securities Administrators Association brings together state, provincial, and federal securities regulators in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. This relatively unknown organization helps align the financial regulation policies of over 50 agencies across North America and coordinates enforcement action in cross-border cases. In 2018, the NASAA launched “Operation Cryptosweep” in which over 200 ICOs and cryptocurrency-related investment products were investigated for potential investor fraud.

Topics covered in this episode:

• Mike's background as a lawyer and the Commissioner of the Vermont Department of Financial Regulation
• What is the NASAA, it's goals, members and jurisdiction
• The story of “Operation Cryptosweep” and what came out of that action
• Mike's thoughts on the future of blockchain regulation
• How regulation might apply in the context of transnational projects which are nation state-invariant
• The United State's restrictive securities laws in the context of Defi and security tokens
• Vermont's attempt to attract blockchain projects, and the “Blockchain-Based LCC”
• Vermont DFR's pilot project in Captive Insurance
• What Mike hopes to achieve during his one-year term as president of the NASAA

Episode links:

• NASAA
• Operation Cryptosweep
• NASAA Reminds Investors to Approach ICOs with Caution
• Get in the Know About ICOs (video)
• Vermont Governor Signs Bill Clearing Way for Blockchain Companies
• Captive Insurance Blockchain Pilot Press Release
• Vermont Department of Financial Regulation
• Mike Pieciak (@mspieciak) on Twitter

Sponsors:

• Azure: Deploy enterprise-ready consortium blockchain networks that scale in just a few clicks - http://aka.ms/epicenter

This episode is hosted by Sebastien Couture & Friederike Ernst. Show notes and listening options: epicenter.tv/285