Angela Walch (St. Mary's University School of Law) – Crypto Realism

In a world in which ‘crypto’ has scaled and become deeply intertwined with the legacy financial system, it is essential to gain a grounded, realistic understanding of cryptoeconomic systems and the financial assets and activities they support. In this presentation, I will lay out a theory of “Crypto Realism,” arguing for a multidisciplinary, critical approach in our research into and treatment of crypto systems and the financial activities and assets they enable. I will discuss key mythologies about the characteristics of crypto systems and how a realistic approach to these systems helps us to identify and break through these mythologies. I will also discuss how failure to take a realistic approach to these systems can taint legal, policy, risk, and investment decisions about crypto, embedding unappreciated risk, and potentially increasing the fragility and instability of crypto systems as infrastructure.

Date:
Friday, November 12, 2021, 4:00 p.m.

Venue:
CISCO Webex

Please contact the event management by October 14 at the latest to receive a personal invitation.