- SEC will host a public DeFi roundtable on June 9 to discuss regulatory frameworks.
- Panelists will explore DeFi’s alignment with U.S. values like autonomy and open access.
- The event includes a live-streamed town hall for public questions and industry input.
The U.S Securities and Exchange Commission is preparing to host its next crypto roundtable on June 9. The event will take place at SEC headquarters in Washington, D.C., and focus on decentralized finance (DeFi). This roundtable is part of the SEC’s ongoing crypto policy series. It will be held from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., with opening remarks starting at 1 p.m. Public access will begin at noon, and the event will also stream live on the SEC’s website.
The theme of the roundtable is “DeFi and the American Spirit.” The discussion will explore how DeFi aligns with core U.S. values like autonomy and open markets. The session will include a town hall portion for public questions. Attendees can email their questions during the event or ask them live in person.
The event will begin with remarks from key SEC officials. These include Chief of Staff Richard Gabbert, SEC Chair Paul Atkins, and Commissioners Caroline Crenshaw, Mark Uyeda, and Hester Peirce. Commissioner Peirce also heads the SEC’s Crypto Task Force. She said DeFi shows crypto’s potential to remove intermediaries and empower users directly.
The main panel discussion will run from 1:30 to 3:00 p.m. Former SEC Commissioner Troy Paredes will moderate the session. He will lead a panel of ten experts from academia, tech, and law. The panelists include Erik Voorhees from Venice AI, Rebecca Rettig from Jito, Gabe Shapiro from MetaLeX, Michael Mosier from Arktouros, and Michael Jordan from DBA. Additional panelists include representatives from Columbia Business School, Coin Center, Espresso Systems, and the Wharton School.
Topics will include the role of smart contracts, risks of decentralized governance, and the challenge of regulating peer-to-peer platforms. The panel will also examine how DeFi might integrate into the existing regulatory framework.
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After a short break, the town hall will run from 3:30 to 4:55 p.m. Attendees will engage directly with panelists during this segment. Commissioner Peirce will close the event with final remarks. The roundtable is the fifth in the SEC’s “Spring Sprint Toward Crypto Clarity” series.
Earlier sessions focused on securities classification, crypto trading rules, and tokenization. Each event aims to gather feedback for future regulatory planning. The SEC says this DeFi roundtable may be its most important yet. It comes as regulators and innovators try to balance innovation with investor protection in a fast-changing market.
