This morning Superintendent Benjamin Lawsky of the New York Department of Financial Services (“DFS”) released a notice detailing the schedule and lineup of the virtual currency hearings he scheduled for next week (January 28th and 29th). The hearings will be divided into “panels” comprised of investors, academics, law enforcement, regulatory authorities, and crypto currency entrepreneurs. Some well-known investors (Barry Silbert, Jeremy Liew, Fred Wilson, and Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss) will kick off the hearings on January 28th; while Cyrus Vance, Jr. (District Attorney of New York County) and Richard Zabel (Deputy US Attorney for the Southern District of New York) will lead the second day of hearings. Although not all of the panels have been filled, a rough sketch of the topics on the agenda include:
Tuesday, January 28th
Panel 1 (11:30am – 1:30pm) – The Investor Perspective: The Future of Virtual Currencies
Panel 2 (2:30pm – 4:30pm) – Virtual Currencies and Regulation in an Evolving Landscape
Wednesday, January 29th
Panel 1 (10:00am – 11:00am) – Law Enforcement and Virtual Currencies
Panel 2 (11:30am – 1:30pm) – Virtual Currency Commerce and Consumer Protections
Panel 3 (2:30pm – 4:00pm) – The Academic View on Virtual Currencies
Stay tuned for any last-minute additions, as well as coverage of the ongoing debate.