Excitement builds for the DC Fintech Week with Ripple chief executive officer Brad Garlinghouse and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) chair listed as headlining speakers at the upcoming conference.
Garlinghouse And Gensler To Share Same Stage
The cryptocurrency community is abuzz with intrigue as the 7th DC Fintech Week looms. Interestingly, Ripple Labs CEO Brad Garlinghouse and SEC chairman Gary Gensler are both set to speak at the event, slated from November 6 to 9.
The announcement about the exciting lineup of speakers at the DC Fintech week was made on the X (formerly Twitter) platform by the Bank for International Settlements(BIS), which co-hosts the annual policy conference.
Predictably, the news of Garlinghouse and Gensler being among the key speakers stirred speculation among the crypto community, with some noting that the duo could end up crossing paths at the event.
BIS should let me moderate this event, allowing me to ask questions. I guarantee you it would get the eyeballs.
https://t.co/OEYTHWXSkX
— John E Deaton (@JohnEDeaton1) November 3, 2023
https://t.co/OEYTHWXSkXFor the XRPArmy, the irony is undeniable as Gensler shares the stage with Ripple’s Garlinghouse after the back-to-back court losses he has suffered against the fintech company.
Legal Drama With SEC
As you are aware, Garlinghouse and Executive Chairman Chris Larsen are no longer facing charges from the SEC.
In July, Ripple notched a major victory after a federal judge affirmed that XRP is not a security on its face. The crypto company also won recently when a judge rejected the SEC’s requests for an interlocutory appeal.
Notably, Gensler will also be sharing the stage at the DC Fintech Week with the CEO of Grayscale Investments, Michael Sonnenshein. The SEC scored an earth-shuttering loss against Grayscale after the courts demanded the U.S. regulator scrap its objection to the company’s effort to convert its approximately $17 billion GBTC to a spot Bitcoin exchange-traded fund. The SEC chose not to appeal that ruling.
DC Fintech Week will entail substantive discussions around crypto regulation. That said, the convergence of industry leaders and regulators could offer keen insights into the fate of cryptocurrency regulation in the US.