Crypto is an industry without regulation—a once-appealing prospect for a movement that sought to supplant the financial system, but now a hindrance to a sector seeking legitimacy. In the absence of regulation from lawmakers, the authority has fallen to Behnam’s CFTC and Gary Gensler’s Securities and Exchange Commission.
The panel preceding Behnam was crackling with anticipation, with George Mason University law professor J.W. Verret decrying the DAO decision. “It’s ironic to me that members of the CFTC still speak at crypto events,” he said.