The Progressive Case for Crypto Regulation

Over the last several years, cryptocurrency and other new financial technologies have exploded into the public consciousness and policymaking debates—and are inching more and more into our economic systems. Though crypto’s supporters publicize it as an opportunity to transform the financial system to foster inclusion and innovation, these claims often cloak pure profit-seeking. Crypto’s skeptics see the speculative nature of crypto—and accompanying rampant fraud—as fuel for boom and bust cycles that endanger consumers and the broader macroeconomy. 

The Roosevelt Institute sees the ongoing debates around crypto—how integrated into our financial system it should be, and how it should be regulated—as part of a broader conversation about public power, economic equity, and the role of new technologies in the financial system. Our blog series seeks to cut through some of crypto’s hype to answer questions about its promises and perils, and to propose a vision that centers financial inclusion and race equity, and protects people, the US financial system, and the planet.