Angela Walch: A Realist’s View of the Infrastructure Bill

This week, “Opinionated” hosts Ben Schiller, Anna Baydakova and Danny Nelson talk to Angela Walch, a professor at St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio and a research associate at the Centre for Blockchain Technologies at University College London.

This episode is sponsored by Unique One Network.

An original and independently minded commentator on the crypto industry, Walch was a key voice in the recent debate over the infrastructure bill and its cryptocurrency-related tax-reporting provision. Walch testified before the U.S. Senate about the increasingly systemic role played by cryptocurrencies and why the legislation shouldn’t be rushed.

She wrote an op-ed for CoinDesk saying the “process being used to regulate crypto through an unrelated bill on infrastructure is deeply flawed and risks increasing rather than reducing harms to the public.”

On our show, Walch shared her experience talking to the legislators and why the most controversial part of the bill may not have been as unfair as the industry has claimed. The bill suggests that anyone who facilitates crypto transactions should be considered a broker for the legal and tax purposes.

Should crypto miners actually be considered brokers? Are large crypto celebrity investors doing the industry a favor in their advocacy? What is the best way forward for crypto regulation in the U.S.?

Listen to Ben, Anna and Danny discuss these and some other burning questions with Angela Walch and watch out for her new coming op-eds on CoinDesk.

Angela Walch handle in Twitter: @angela_walch

Mentioned in this episode:

Angela Walch’s op-ed for CoinDesk: Congress, Don’t Rush Regulating Crypto

Angela Welch’s testimony in Congress, July 27, 2021: Cryptocurrencies: What are they good for?

Image credit:Stephen Emlund/iStock/Getty Images Plus, modified by Coindesk