The Winklevoss Twins Will Headline New York State's Bitcoin Hearings
The twins' Bitcoin Trust, an ETF fund that would track the price of Bitcoin-related securities, is still under regulatory review.
Last April, the twins announced they owned $11-million worth of Bitcoin, when the price was $120. The price is now $950 on the Mt. Gox exchange meaning their holdings are now worth about $55 million.
The hearings will be more of a discussion about the role of digital currencies, similar to the ones that took place in the U.S. Senate in November, than a formal inquiry. DFS head Ben Lawsky has previously discussed creating special merchant licenses for New York businesses that rely on Bitcoin.
Here's where the hearing will take place:
90 Church Street
4th Floor Board RoomNew York, NY
And the full lineup of speakers:
Tuesday, January 28th
Panel 1 (11:30am - 1:30pm) - The Investor Perspective: The Future of Virtual Currencies
· Barry Silbert - Founder & CEO of SecondMarket and Founder of the Bitcoin Investment Trust
· Jeremy Liew - Partner, Lightspeed Venture Partners
· Fred Wilson - Partner, Union Square Ventures
· Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss - Principals, Winklevoss Capital Management
Panel 2 (2:30pm - 4:30pm) - Virtual Currencies and Regulation in an Evolving Landscape
· Charles Lee - Creator of Litecoin
· Judie Rinearson - Partner, Bryan Cave
· Carol Van Cleef - Partner, Patton Boggs
· TBD Additional Witnesses
Panel 1 (10:00am - 11:00am) - Law Enforcement and Virtual Currencies
· Cyrus R. Vance, Jr - District Attorney of New York County
· Richard B. Zabel - Deputy U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York
Panel 2 (11:30am - 1:30pm) - Virtual Currency Commerce and Consumer Protections
· Fred Ehrsam - Co-Founder, Coinbase
· Jeremy Allaire - Founder & CEO, Circle Internet Financial
· TBD Representative of Overstock.com
Panel 3 (2:30pm - 4:00pm) - The Academic View on Virtual Currencies
· Ed W. Felten - Professor of Computer Science and Public Affairs, and Director of the Center for Information Technology Policy, Princeton University
· Susan Athey - Professor of Economics, Stanford University