CONFERENCES & EVENTS

Cryptocurrency: Exploring Economic and Social Impacts

October 23, 2025
7:30 p.m.–9:00 p.m. ET
WEBINAR

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What is cryptocurrency? Register to hear panelists Hilary J. Allen, Mark Hays, and Peter Coy discuss common myths, examine the underlying realities, and assess cryptocurrency’s evolving impact on finance, democracy, and consumers. Join live to ask questions. This event is organized by the Network for Responsible Public Policy.

SPEAKERS

HILARY J. ALLEN is a Professor of Law at the American University Washington College of Law.  She is an internationally recognized expert on financial stability regulation and new financial technologies, and regularly shares her expertise with financial regulatory bodies in the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia.  She has also been invited to share her research with central banks around the world, as well as with international bodies including the IMF, World Bank, IOSCO, G20, APEC, and Financial Stability Board.  She has testified before the House Financial Services Committee and the Senate Banking Committee, and is the author of the internet serial FinTech Dystopia and the book Driverless Finance: Fintech’s Impact on Financial Stability (2022, Oxford University Press). Professor Allen received her Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney, Australia, and her Master of Laws in Securities and Financial Regulation Law from Georgetown University Law Center.  Prior to entering the academy, Professor Allen spent seven years working in the financial services groups of prominent law firms in London, Sydney, and New York.  In 2010, she worked with the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, which was appointed by Congress to study the causes of the financial crisis of 2007–2008.

MARK HAYS is the Associate Director for Cryptocurrency and Financial Technology with AFR/AFREF and with Demand Progress. He works to ensure effective regulatory oversight of cryptocurrency and other financial technologies. Previously, Mark was the Anti-Money Laundering Campaign Director at Global Witness, where he led advocacy efforts to secure financial transparency measures, including legislation requiring shell companies––often used to facilitate corruption and financial crime––to reveal their true owners. In other roles, Hays has led advocacy work at the intersection of business, human rights, and the environment for a range of organizations, including The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, Greenpeace, Mighty Earth, NAACP, Public Citizen, The Sierra Club, Waxman Strategies, and others. Mark is a graduate of Tufts University (BA, English) and the New England Conservatory of Music (BA, Vocal Performance).

MODERATOR

PETER COY is a freelance journalist covering economics, business, and finance. He was previously a staff writer for The Associated Press, BusinessWeek, Bloomberg Businessweek and the Opinion section of The New York Times. He is a graduate of Cornell University.

EVENT CO-SPONSORS

Network for Responsible Public Policy
The Academy of Political Science
The Puffin Foundation
The McCourtney Institute for Democracy