Crypto Task Force Roundtable - Know Your Custodian: Key Considerations for Crypto Custody

Jason Allegrante – Chief Legal & Compliance Officer, Fireblocks

Jason is the Chief Legal & Compliance Officer at Fireblocks, a market-leading provider of technology solutions to enable businesses to easily and securely support digital asset and cryptocurrency use cases. 

Jason began his career in the Financial Institution Supervision Group at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.  He later practiced law at the international firms Linklaters LLP and Davis Polk & Wardwell. 

Since 2018, Jason has served as senior legal counsel to early stage fintech and SaaS companies and advised on critical matters at the intersection of financial services and the emerging blockchain-based ecosystem. 

Jason holds B.A. and J.D. degrees from Columbia University and a Certificate in Global Business Law and Governance from Sciences Po / Paris I - Pantheon Sorbonne.

Rachel Anderika – Head of Global Operations, Chief Operating Officer, Anchorage Digital Bank

Rachel is the Global Head of Operations at Anchorage Digital as well as the Chief Operating Officer at Anchorage Digital Bank. She joined Anchorage Digital in 2022 and brings more than 15 years of experience in regulatory and risk management and nearly a decade of professional experience at the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. There, she served as National Bank Examiner (and later, Large Bank Examiner) to ensure that national banks operated safely and soundly while complying with applicable laws and regulations. Rachel then served eight years in the private sector at Promontory Financial Group, a premier bank regulatory consulting firm, later purchased by IBM where she worked with numerous traditional financial institutions on risk management and compliance. Rachel also helped found Promontory’s Digital Assets Risk and Compliance Team, where she guided digital assets custodians through the state and federalregulatory licensing process. Rachel holds a bachelor’s degree in finance and economics from King’s College.

Justin Browder – Partner, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP

Terrence Dempsey – Head of Product Strategy, Fidelity Digital Assets

Terrence is Senior Vice President, of Head of Product Strategy at Fidelity Digital Assets, a subsidiary of Fidelity Investments which offers a full-service enterprise grade platform for securing, trading and supporting digital assets. Terrence is responsible for designing and delivering successful digital asset products from business case development to implementation, driving product lifecycles and roadmaps and managing a team of product managers and user experience designers.

Prior to joining Fidelity, Terrence spent nearly five years as the operations lead for the Bitcoin Investment Trust (GBTC) at Digital Currency Group’s asset management arm, Grayscale Investments. Terrence has also spent time in various trading and capital markets roles at SecondMarket prior to its sale to Nasdaq.

Terrence holds a BS in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance from Marist College. 

Mike Didiuk – Partner, Schulte Roth & Zabel, LLP 

Michael is a highly seasoned investment management attorney with more than 22 years of experience, both at leading law firms and the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC). Michael also has significant experience advising digital asset and cryptocurrency issues and regulation. Mike's experience with the intersection of cryptocurrency digital assets and the federal securities laws began in 2012 when he was working at the SEC. Mike advises cryptocurrency clients through the federal securities laws and complex regulatory issues raised by cryptocurrency products, digital asset sales and digital securities. For example, Mike secured an SEC Staff No-Action Letter for a client in 2020, which was a landmark event for the client and the blockchain industry, and marked the evolution of the relationship between blockchain adopters and the SEC. It was the third (and last) no-action letter granted in the blockchain space and of particular significance to the industry because the SEC confirmed that the client's blockchain digital asset is not a security. Importantly, it is the only of the no-action letters where the SEC allowed the client’s digital asset to be freely transferrable off the client’s platform. In addition, Mike advised on launching one of the first ever mutual fund with shares that are on the blockchain.

Mike has advised asset managers on all aspects of their business over his career, including structure, governance, compliance obligations under the federal securities laws (with a particular expertise on the Investment Advisers Act of 1940 and Investment Company Act of 1940) and commodities laws, registered and private products, SEC examinations and investigations, and strategic transactions.

Mike spent seven years at the SEC, where he held various roles, including senior counsel in the Office of Chief Counsel for the Division of Investment Management and investment management counsel to two SEC commissioners. Mike also worked in the SEC's Division of Examinations, where he led examinations of investment advisers, including private fund advisers, advisers to '40 Act funds and crypto advisers.

Larry Florio – General Counsel, 1kx

Larry is General Counsel at 1kx, a leading crypto-native asset manager, where he oversees legal strategy, regulatory engagement, and public goods initiatives. Mr. Florio has over 15 years of experience spanning both traditional finance and the crypto ecosystem, including advising prominent alternative asset managers such as Blackstone, as well as pioneering blockchain projects like Syndicate Protocol.  His experience covers many matters and transaction types, including fund formation, registered investment adviser compliance, venture financings, M&A, SPACs, insurance products, token launches, DAO organization, and regulatory exams. Mr. Florio’s deep understanding of securities law and regulatory frameworks has made him a trusted advisor in navigating the complex intersection of decentralized technologies and the financial system.

Beyond his role at 1kx, Mr. Florio is an active advocate for decentralized communities, becoming an early contributing member of LeXpunK in 2021 and co-founding Public State Advocacy in 2024. Mr. Florio also frequently contributes to industry panels, podcasts, and policy discussions on a range of topics including token taxonomy, digital asset custody, investment collectives, and stablecoins.  

Eliott Frank – General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer, Distributed Global

Eliott is the General Counsel and Chief Compliance Officer at Distributed Global, a thesis-driven blockchain/digital asset venture capital fund manager. He has approximately 20 years legal & compliance experience in the alternative asset management sector, primarily in-house, with respect to a broad range of complex U.S. and global investment management, securities, and regulatory matters related to traditional private funds and investment managers, and since 2018, alternative asset management in the crypto ecosystem. During his career, Eliott has held senior legal and compliance roles at several firms in the alternative asset management/private fund industry. 

Susan Gault-Brown – Partner, Allen Overy Shearman Sterling LLP 

Ms. Gault-Brown is an asset management regulatory partner at A&O Shearman in Washington, DC, with more than 20 years of experience counseling clients on SEC and CFTC regulation. Ms. Gault-Brown regularly works with fintech clients as they launch and operate innovative financial services products. These products include digital and tokenized assets, cryptocurrencies, and blockchain technology, and investment platforms such as roboadvisory and crowdfunding platforms. Prior to private practice, Ms. Gault-Brown served as senior counsel in the SEC's Division of Investment Management. 

Ms. Gault-Brown received her J.D., cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania Law School, her M.A. from Washington University in St. Louis, and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Duke University.

Publications: 

Responding to the SEC Staff on the Custody of Digital Assets Under the 1940 Act

Mark Greenberg – VP & Global Head of Consumer, Kraken 

Mark is Kraken’s VP & Global Head of Consumer, leading Kraken’s efforts to build products that bring millions of users deeper into crypto each year.  He oversees Kraken’s retail trading, payments and staking businesses, and also Kraken’s North American and UK teams.  Before Kraken, Mark spent a decade building and scaling businesses in both TradFi and DeFi, most recently at Scotiabank.

Adam Levitin – Professor of Law and Finance, Georgetown Law 

Adam is the Carmack Waterhouse Professor of Law and Finance at Georgetown Law. He is also a partner at Gordian Crypto Advisors, a firm that provides financial advisory, investment banking, and expert witness services to the crypto industry. The author of the first scholarly work to identify the custodial risk problem in crypto and predict its bankruptcy denouement, Professor Levitin has testified before Congress over thirty times.   

Professor Levitin previously practiced as a restructuring lawyer at Weil, Gotshal, & Manges, LLP, and clerked for Jane R. Roth on the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Professor Levitinhas also served as a visiting professor at Harvard Law School, as the Scholar in Residence at the American Bankruptcy Institute, as Special Counsel to the Congressional Oversight Panel for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, and on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Consumer Advisory Board. 

Professor Levitin holds a J.D. from Harvard Law School, an A.M. and an M.Phil in History from Columbia University, as well as a A.B. from Harvard College.  He is an elected member of the American Law Institute, the American College of Bankruptcy, and the American College of Consumer Financial Service Lawyers, and is the laureate of the American Law Institute’s Young Scholar’s Medal. 

Publications

• Not Your Keys, Not Your Coins: Unpriced Credit Risk in Cryptocurrency
• Crypto Winter Arrives
• Looming Legal Issues in Cryptocurrency Bankruptcies
• The GENIUS Act: Insolvency Risk with Stablecoins

Ryan Louvar – Chief Legal Officer and Head of Business and Legal Affairs, Digital Assets, WisdomTree 

Mr. Louvar has over 25 years of legal and business experience with deep expertise in ETFs, digital assets, tokenization, and financial innovation. He currently serves as Chief Legal Officer and Head of Business and Legal Affairs, Digital Assets at WisdomTree, where he oversees legal, risk, and compliance functions and helps drive the firm’s leadership in tokenized real-world assets through its WisdomTree Prime® mobile app and WisdomTree Connect™ web platform. Mr. Louvar also leads WisdomTree’s regulatory and legislative policy advocacy, supporting its mission to innovate within financial services and asset management. 

Previously, he served as General Counsel of WisdomTree Asset Management, Inc., and as Chief Legal Officer and Secretary of the WisdomTree Trust (2013–2021). Prior to joining WisdomTree, he was Vice President and Senior Managing Counsel at State Street (2005–2013), where he served as Chief Legal Officer, Secretary, AML Officer, and Code of Ethics Compliance Officer for the SPDR family of ETFs.

A frequent speaker on digital assets, tokenization, ETFs, and related legal and policy considerations, Mr. Louvar holds an LL.M. in Banking and Financial Law from Boston University, a J.D. from Pepperdine University School of Law, and a B.S. in Finance, cum laude, from the University of Colorado. He has also completed executive coursework in blockchain and digital currency at MIT Sloan and the University of Cape Town.

Neel Maitra – Partner, Dechert LLP

Neel is a partner in Dechert’s financial services practice, advising clients on securities issues, particularly relating to the blockchain, crypto and fintech industries. Prior to his return to private practice, Neel served as the crypto and fintech specialist in the Division of Trading and Markets at the Securities and Exchange Commission, where he worked on a range of crypto issues and developments, including initial coin offerings, broker-dealer regulation, crypto-based exchange-traded funds and private funds, decentralized finance, and innovative trading platforms.  He currently represents trading platforms, venture capital and other funds, market makers and trade associations both on crypto and traditional finance matters.   Neel received his JD from Columbia Law School and a BCL (Bachelor of Civil Laws) degree from Oxford University. 

Publications (With Scott Walker):

• Crypto Asset Custody by Investment Advisers After the SEC’S Proposed Safeguarding Rule   (Volume 56, Review of Securities & Commodities Regulation Number 6—March 22, 2023) pp.75-89 (15)
• A Call to the SEC: Treat Crypto Assets as if Clients Matter, (Sept. 21, 2022)

Veronica McGregor – Chief Legal Officer, Exodus Movement, Inc. 

Veronica, Chief Legal Officer at Exodus Movement, Inc., oversees global legal strategy, regulatory affairs, and governmental relations for a global workforce of ~250. With over 20 years in Big Law, including as a partner at Goodwin Procter, she established herself as a leading payments lawyer, advising fintech startups and major corporations like Apple on innovations such as ApplePay. A crypto pioneer since 2011, Veronica previously served as Chief Legal Officer at ShapeShift, navigating its decentralization and the formation of the ShapeShift DAO. Her expertise in payment systems, blockchain, and financial services has made her a trusted advisor in bridging traditional finance and disruptive technologies.

A Bay Area native with a knack for innovation, Veronica has been a prolific speaker and leader in crypto and fintech, earning accolades such as inclusion in the Daily Journal’s “Top 100 Women Lawyers” in 2015. She has held prominent roles, including serving on the Board of Regents for the American College of Consumer Financial Services Lawyers and as past Chair of the Electronic Financial Services & Digital Currency Subcommittee of the American Bar Association. Representing clients from banks to tech startups, she has navigated complex regulatory landscapes, advising on custody issues, mergers, IPOs, and compliance in areas like anti-money laundering, mobile payments, and data security, solidifying her reputation as a trailblazer in the industry.

Charles Mooney – Professor of Law Emeritus, Penn Carey Law

Charles is the Heimbold Professor of Law Emeritus at Penn Carey Law and a New Hampshire Commissioner on Uniform State Laws.  He is a leading legal scholar of commercial and insolvency law, and has contributed to the developing law for digital assets as Reporter for major amendments to the Uniform Commercial Code, including the new Article 12 on digital assets, as a drafting committee member for the UNIDROIT Principles on Digital Assets and Private Law, and as a member of the study committee on digital tokens of the Hague Conference on Private International Law.

Professor Mooney has published widely on the legal and regulatory aspects of securities.  His 1990 article is recognized as “the intellectual foundation of Revised [1994 UCC] Article 8.”  He represented the United States at diplomatic conferences for the Geneva Securities Convention and was a contributing author of the UNIDROIT Legislative Guide on Intermediated Securities.

Professor Mooney earned his J.D. cum laude from the Harvard Law School.  He joined the Penn faculty after 14 years of law practice, including as a partner of Shearman & Sterling.  He is an elected member of the American College of Bankruptcy, the International Insolvency Institute, The American Law Institute, and the American College of Commercial Finance Lawyers.

• Final Report on the Work of the Task Force on Securities Holding Infrastructure: Part Two
• Beyond Intermediation: A New (Fintech) Model for Securities Holding Infrastructures

Baylor is the Vice President for Corporate Development at BitGo, an American digital asset company based in Palo Alto, California. During his tenure, BitGo closed their $100 million Series C with a valuation of $1.85 billion. Baylor led two successful acquisitions of firms expanding BitGo’s product suite and services. Additionally, he launched BitGo Ventures, a proprietary investment vehicle to catalyze the digital asset ecosystem. In the first Trump Administration, the White House appointed Baylor as a key aide to U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin. His work spanned the 2016-2017 presidential transition, the negotiation and implementation of Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, the Phase One China Trade deal, and the CARES Act. Baylor supported the day-to-day operations of a department with more than 80,000 employees. He was responsible for personnel and priority projects that covered a wide range of the federal government and its financial regulatory agencies. Before government, Baylor served on the original 2016 Trump Presidential Campaign working out of Trump Tower. Earlier, he held multiple roles with one of the most prominent economic advocacy organizations in the nation. Baylor's policy work and opinions appeared in various national and regional news outlets. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Miami University.

Brandon Russell – CEO, Etana Custody Inc. 

Brandon is CEO and Founder of Etana Custody which has been providing regulated custody and support to Digital Asset participants since 2017.  Etana Group, through its Trust company and Broker Dealer portfolio company, enables the orderly and compliant exchange of digital assets, tokenized securities and fiat by providing a solution integrating custody, market access and the post-trade lifecycle.

Brandon is a vocal advocate for both orderly regulated markets and innovation, engaging regulators at the state and federal level.  He has unique insights into how the broader digital asset space works due to the central role Etana performs being able to see both challenges and efficiencies on issues ranging from settlement and banking to broader infrastructure on the path to digital transformation.

Brandon has been a board member of Polymesh since 2023, providing strategic guidance on the relevance and evolution of real-world asset tokenization.

Ms. Weinrib is the Chief Compliance Officer and BSA Officer of the Americas for Copper.co, a leading digital asset infrastructure service provider offering custody, income optimization, and collateral management solutions. She is responsible for building Copper’s US Compliance Program and collaborating on the development of its US strategy for regulatory licensing, revenue growth, and expansion into traditional financial asset classes.

Ms. Weinrib brings over 20 years of compliance expertise spanning the traditional finance, fintech and digital asset industries. With a focus on innovation and regulatory best practices, she has a proven track record of building agile Compliance frameworks, navigating the complex integration of blockchain technology, digital asset markets and global compliance requirements. In an upcoming panel she will speak about the now almost indistinguishable through line on the intersection of traditional financial institutions, the digital asset industry, and how this bears considerable introspection considering the current tipping point on the regulatory future of the industry. 

Prior to joining Copper, Ms. Weinrib built her tradfi foundation at institutions such as Standard Chartered, Brown Brothers Harriman, and Societe Generale and was most recently the CCO & BSA Officer of Binance.US.”

Zachary Zweihorn – Partner, Davis Polk & Wardwell

Mr. Zweihorn is a partner in Davis Polk’s Financial Institutions Group. His practice focuses on the regulation of broker-dealers, exchanges and other securities market participants and intermediaries, advising on SEC, FINRA, and exchange rules relating to business conduct, financial responsibility, margin, market structure, and associated compliance obligations. He also counsels clients on regulatory issues arising in connection with corporate transactions involving regulated firms. His clients include international banks, broker-dealers, securities exchanges, digital asset businesses, and other financial institutions.

He has counseled numerous crypto market participants on securities law compliance issues, including the intersection between the federal securities laws and regulations and the digital asset market. 

Mr. Zweihorn also helps clients with regulatory and legislative advocacy and has assisted in drafting proposed language for legislation, including aspects of three bills that became law. He has testified before the House Financial Services Committee and guest lectured at Columbia Law School on the interplay between digital assets and securities laws.

He has been named a “Rising Star” by both Law360 and the National Law Journal. Chambers USA notes that he is a “go-to source” with “tremendous subject matter expertise.”