Fran Velasquez

Fran is CoinDesk's TV writer and reporter. He is an alum of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and CUNY's Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, where he earned his master's in business and economic reporting. In the past, he has written for Borderless Magazine, CNBC Make It, and Inc. He owns no crypto holdings.

Recent

Caitlin Long at BTC 22 (Danny Nelson/CoinDesk)

Policy

Custodia bank

Caitlin Long Sees 'Coordinated Effort' Among Regulators for Custodia Rejection

The CEO says crypto is here, get used to it. Custodia Bank has filed another master account application with the Federal Reserve.

By Fran Velasquez

Feb 21, 2023 at 10:52 p.m. UTC

Feb 21, 2023

Custodia bankCaitlin LongFederal ReserveCoinDesk TVRegulationbankingUS

Policy

Cftc

Former CFTC Chairman: SEC Was 'Absolutely Right' to Sue Terraform Labs, Do Kwon

Timothy Massad, now a research fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, said U.S. bank regulators have the ability right now to create a framework that could license...

By Fran Velasquez

Feb 17, 2023 at 8:11 p.m. UTC

Feb 17, 2023

CFTCTimothy MassadCoinDesk TVStablecoinsterraform labsSEC

Policy

Coinbase

Coinbase Exec: US Congress Needs to ‘Step Up’ Its Crypto Regulatory Efforts

Chief Policy Officer Faryar Shirzad said the exchange would “love to register” its two dormant broker-dealers, but the reality is no clear direction has been provided by lawma...

By Fran Velasquez

Feb 17, 2023 at 6:01 p.m. UTC

Feb 17, 2023

CoinbaseFaryar ShirzadCoinDesk TVKrakencrypto regulationPaxosStablecoins

Policy

Sam bankman-fried

Bankman-Fried $250M Bond Is a ‘Joke,’ Claims Securities Lawyer

“MetaLawMan” James Murphy says that in 30 years of experience he has “never seen anything this lenient in a situation” where someone has lost millions of dollars of users’ mon...

By Fran Velasquez

Feb 16, 2023 at 10:51 p.m. UTC

Feb 16, 2023

Sam Bankman-FriedFTXJames murphyCoinDesk TVBailLegalUS

Policy

Paxos

Former Paxos Exec: Regulators Failed to Address Crypto Collapses, Now They’re Going After 'On-Ramps'

Jesse Austin Campbell, former head of portfolio management, says that “probably, the greatest mistake you could have made is to be an onshore, regulated company in the crypto...

By Fran Velasquez

Feb 15, 2023 at 8:57 p.m. UTC

Feb 15, 2023

PaxosSECNYDFSCoinDesk TVJesse austin campbellColumbia University

Finance

Paxos

Former SEC Chief Counsel Says Agency Needs to Make Clear Its Crypto Compliance Rules

“When the SEC tells us that something is not compliant, it’s not necessarily the same thing as telling us what they would consider compliant,” said TuongVy Le, a partner and h...

By Fran Velasquez

Feb 14, 2023 at 8:07 p.m. UTC

Feb 14, 2023

PaxosKrakenBain CapitalTuongvy leCoinDesk TVStakingRegulationSECUS

Policy

Algorand foundation

Algorand Foundation CEO: SEC’s Crypto Crackdown Highlights Lack of Regulatory Clarity

Staci Warden told CoinDesk TV crypto-native firms are being punished rather than given guidance.

By Fran Velasquez

Feb 13, 2023 at 7:45 p.m. UTC

Feb 13, 2023

Algorand FoundationStaci WardenCoinDesk TVKrakenPaxosRegulationSECUS

Zachary Fallon (CoinDesk TV, modified by CoinDesk)

Policy

Sec

Former SEC Attorney: Kraken Action Not a Condemnation of 'Staking Writ Large'

However, Zachary Fallon, a partner at law firm Ketsal, said it is an “obvious shot across the bow to others.”

By Fran Velasquez

Feb 10, 2023 at 9:25 p.m. UTC

Feb 10, 2023

SECKrakenProof-of-StakeCoinDesk TVKetsal

Policy

Metabirkin

Legal Expert Says MetaBirkin Project Intended to Use Hermès’ Brand for Economic Gain

Olta Andoni, general counsel at financial firm Enclave Markets, said artist Mason Rothschild was looking to “piggyback” off the French luxury brand’s reputation. But even arti...

By Fran Velasquez

Feb 9, 2023 at 9:46 p.m. UTC

Feb 9, 2023

MetaBirkinHermesMason RothschildCoinDesk TVArtNFTsLawsuit