This roundtable builds upon a previous private session convened as part of the Point Zero Forum 2024 titled "Blockchains for Good: Harnessing Technology to Fight Financial Crime, Protect Consumers, and Foster Financial Inclusion", featuring regulators from key jurisdictions alongside representatives from global financial institutions and digital asset stakeholders. The focus was on exploring how blockchain technology can be leveraged to tackle critical challenges within the digital assets sector.

This discussion will be segmented into three key themes: fighting financial crime, protecting consumers, and fostering financial inclusion—each contributing to a broader vision of leveraging blockchains for the public good.

Key Discussion Points:
1. How does blockchain technology shift the paradigm for financial crime?
2. How are financial institutions approaching financial crime controls in the digital asset space?
3. What should regulators consider in designing consumer protection rules for the digital asset industry? What are some best practices for the industry in safeguarding consumers? What are some implementation challenges to learn from?
4. How will blockchain technology make financial services more accessible? How are digital asset businesses building an inclusive ecosystem?
5. In the world of blockchain-enabled finance, how do efforts across crime prevention, consumer protection, and financial inclusion all intersect for public good?

Please find the reading material here.

Financial authorities from across the globe are stepping up their efforts to regulate cryptoassets and related activities. Despite recommendations from global standard-setting bodies, the regulatory landscape remains fragmented, particularly between advanced and emerging market economies.
 
Against this backdrop, the Centre for Alternative Finance of the Cambridge Judge Business School (CCAF) will present latest research showcasing lessons learned from the implementation of cryptoasset regulation in leading jurisdictions. The report compares licensing frameworks for cryptoasset service providers, stablecoin issuers, and discusses issues such as cross-border challenges posed by cryptoasset markets and the early regulatory responses to tokenisation and DeFi.
 
CCAF will also be launching the Global Regulatory Innovation Dashboard (GRID) for cryptoasset regulation which categorises, maps and visualises cryptoassets regulatory frameworks and is the first to cover all jurisdictions in the world.
 
This session will foster an exchange of views between policymakers, regulators, and compliance and risk leaders with an interest in cryptoassets. Details of the report will be shared on 4th November at CCAF’s Launch Event for GRID.

Crypto-asset markets have seen a number of high-profile failures in recent years, which put wind in the sails of regulators’ efforts to introduce regulations to address investor protection and market integrity risks. Now, two years on from the infamous downfall of FTX, there are signs that crypto winter is thawing - crypto-asset market capitalisations have risen, buoyed in large part by the listing of crypto-asset ETFs in the US as well as emerging innovations. 
 
This panel will discuss how regulators view the crypto-asset market today, updates on regulatory progress and challenges and the next steps in this area.