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The Rise of the 'Crypto Czar,' the Fall of a

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RISE-OF-THE

'Blockchain Evangelist'
By DEBORAH MESHULAM, BENJAMIN KLEIN AND RICHARD KELLEY | June 07, 2018 at 02:10 PM

     (http://www.almreprints.com)

Cryptocurrency

The cryptocurrency enforcement landscape continues to evolve with several important

developments this past week, including the appointment of a “Crypto Czar,” an
enforcement action against a “Blockchain Evangelist” and a government o cial’s praise
of virtual currencies as a “modern miracle” that “will proliferate to every economy and
every part of the planet.” In the paragraphs that follow, we analyze these legal
developments and their implications for the blockchain and cryptocurrency
communities.

All Hail the Crypto Czar

On June 4, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced the
appointment of veteran SEC attorney Valerie Szczepanik as associate director of the
Division of Corporation Finance and senior adviser for digital assets and innovation. In
her capacity as the SEC’s “Crypto Czar,” Szczepanik will coordinate the SEC’s application
of U.S. securities laws to emerging digital asset technologies and innovations, including
Initial Coin O erings (ICOs) and cryptocurrencies.
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