The SEC’s forthcoming DeFi roundtable marks a strategic shift aimed at fostering regulatory collaboration, with significant potential to influence national crypto policy and spur decentralized innovation across the country.
SEC Eyes DeFi Policy Overhaul in New Roundtable, Invites Industry Stakeholders
On May 28, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced its plans to host a roundtable titled “DeFi and the American Spirit” on June 9. The event will bring together participants from the decentralized finance (DeFi) industry, academia, and policy circles. Scheduled from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the SEC’s Washington D.C. headquarters, the session will also be accessible to the public through a livestream on the SEC’s official website. While doors will open at noon, only in-person attendees are required to register in advance. The roundtable is being organized by the agency’s Crypto Task Force.
The statement was made by Commissioner Hester M. Peirce, who serves as the chair of the Crypto Task Force.
DeFi exemplifies the promise of crypto, as it allows people to interact without intermediaries. I look forward to learning from the panelists about how we can create a regulatory environment in which DeFi can thrive.
Opening remarks are set to be delivered by several SEC officials, including Chief of Staff Richard B. Gabbert, Chairman Paul S. Atkins, Commissioner Caroline A. Crenshaw, and Commissioner Mark T. Uyeda. Following the introductions, a panel discussion will be held, moderated by Troy Paredes of Paredes Strategies LLC, with representatives participating from institutions such as Espresso Systems, Columbia Business School, Jito Labs, Coin Center, and Venice AI.
The panel will feature participants such as Jill Gunter, Michael Jordan, Omid Malekan, Michael Mosier, Rebecca Rettig, Gabe Shapiro, Peter Van Valkenburgh, Erik Voorhees, and Kevin Werbach. Attendees will be given the opportunity to pose questions directly during a town hall segment, either in real time or via email. Closing remarks will be delivered by Commissioner Peirce. While skepticism continues to be expressed by some critics regarding the SEC’s approach to crypto regulation, others within the blockchain space regard the roundtable as a significant chance to shape policy and encourage open dialogue around decentralized finance innovation.
The SEC’s series of crypto regulation roundtables was launched on March 21, 2025, with an event titled “How We Got Here and How We Get Out – Defining Security Status.” This initiative marked the start of the agency’s “Spring Sprint Toward Crypto Clarity,” a five-part series coordinated by the Crypto Task Force. The following sessions covered a range of critical issues: crypto trading regulations on April 11, custody challenges on April 25, and tokenization on May 12. These roundtables reflect a strategic transition from the SEC’s historically enforcement-heavy stance to one of active collaboration with the crypto sector, aiming to establish more transparent and coherent regulatory guidelines.
