Yesterday, SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce sat down for a fireplace chat with NYDIG founder Ross Stevens at New York Metropolis’s Bitcoin-themed bar PubKey.
The 2 traversed a lot of subjects throughout their dialogue, together with why it’s necessary that the world has a permissionless community and asset like Bitcoin in addition to why transactional privateness must be a proper for U.S. residents.
Peirce didn’t mince phrases throughout the dialogue, but she additionally spoke with nuance and thoughtfulness as she responded to questions from not solely Stevens however from members of the viewers throughout a Q&A session, as properly.
On Permissionlessness
Towards the onset of the discuss, Peirce highlighted the truth that Bitcoin is a instrument for freedom fighters as a part of a broader theme of why it’s essential that permissionless know-how like Bitcoin exists.
She stated that she typically thinks about what it might have been like if somebody like Harriet Tubman had had Bitcoin.
Stevens then posed a query in regards to the danger of a scenario through which a U.S. president points an government order that authorizes the federal government to confiscate U.S. residents’ bitcoin, like the way in which Executive Order 6102 enabled the federal government to grab U.S. residents’ gold in 1933.
Peirce admitted that “it’s nonetheless attainable for an Govt Order like 6102 to occur within the U.S.,” and made the case that it’s as much as us to stay vigilant in order to not allow one thing like this to occur once more.
“To guard ourselves from one thing like Govt Order 6102, we should reaffirm the founding rules of America and maintain the federal government accountable to these rules,” stated the commissioner.
Stevens added that a few of Bitcoin’s qualities, comparable to the power to retailer one’s seed phrase in a single’s thoughts, make it extra immune to seizure than gold and, subsequently, a greater freedom-preserving know-how. (The subject of proudly owning precise bitcoin, or holding one’s personal bitcoin personal keys, as a way of embracing the true nature of Bitcoin as a permissionless know-how versus having bitcoin publicity by way of spot bitcoin ETFs or by custodians arose at many factors within the dialogue.)
Additional alongside within the dialogue, Peirce confused the significance of the U.S. authorities persevering with to view code as speech, a subject that Stevens introduced up and has written extensively about.
“It’s necessary as regulators for us to deal with code as speech,” started Peirce.
“In any other case, builders must verify their code with the federal government earlier than publishing it,” she added, earlier than additionally noting that builders having to do that may stifle and undermine their means to publish open-source software program.
On Privateness
Midway by the discuss, Stevens requested Peirce if People must be free to make use of crypto mixers.
Earlier than straight commenting on the matter, Peirce spoke extra broadly to the idea of economic privateness and that it appears to be of little concern to most U.S. residents.
“It’s outstanding to me how little folks care about monetary privateness,” stated Peirce. “It’s very private the way you spend your cash — and we’ve ceded a lot privateness.”
Relating to crypto mixers extra particularly, Peirce acknowledged that she believes People have a proper to make use of such know-how.
“There’s purported to be a presumption of innocence on this nation,” she stated. “Applied sciences that assist you to do issues on chain but in addition assist you to protect privateness are actually necessary.”
Firstly of the Q&A portion of the occasion, Thomas Pacchia, the bar’s proprietor, highlighted the risks of the Bank Secrecy Act (BSA) in that it mandates that customers flip over vital quantities of non-public knowledge to monetary establishments and requested what the chances have been of someday seeing the act repealed.
Peirce agreed with Pacchia that there’s nice danger in monetary establishments holding a lot of their clients’ knowledge however identified that the thought of repealing the BSA is a degree of deep rivalry in Washington, D.C.
“Actually dangerous issues can occur if a centralized monetary establishment has plenty of details about you, however it’s such a 3rd rail in D.C. to speak in regards to the Financial institution Secrecy Act due to the worry that dangerous actors will rush in,” stated Peirce.
Listening Intently
Peirce has acknowledged a lot of instances, most not too long ago at Bitcoin 2025, that she believes that the U.S. authorities works for the American folks.
It’s clear that this isn’t simply sizzling air or a speaking level, as evidenced by how fastidiously she listens to the questions posed to her and the way considerate her responses to stated questions are.
For instance, I requested Commissioner Peirce if there was any likelihood we’d ultimately see in-kind redemptions for the spot bitcoin ETFs for retail traders.
Whereas she admitted that it’s “unlikely,” she supplied me some house to make my case for why they’re necessary and concluded the trade with me by stating that she’d “give it some extra thought.”
She responded to Stevens and to every member of the viewers who posed a query with the identical kind of care and consideration, which appeared to be appreciated as she broached subjects as delicate as having the authorized proper to carry one’s Bitcoin keys and to transact with bitcoin privately.
Peirce additionally appeared genuinely involved about ensuring that regulators don’t get in the way in which of Bitcoin and crypto fulfilling their promise as each freedom know-how and an alternative choice to the standard monetary and financial techniques.
“I’m involved that we’ll stunt development if we do issues the unsuitable means,” Peirce concluded, eliciting a heat spherical of applause from the Bitcoin fanatics in attendance.