Overview
The launch of the Blockchain Alliance, which Steptoe spearheaded, has received broad media coverage. On October 22, Steptoe announced it was retained to operate the Blockchain Alliance, a public-private forum formed by the Bitcoin community to help combat criminal activity involving bitcoin and the blockchain. The Chamber of Digital Commerce and Coin Center, which founded the alliance, have retained the financial technology team at Steptoe led by Jason Weinstein and Alan Cohn. Mr. Weinstein will serve as director of the Blockchain Alliance.
Mr. Weinstein tells The Wall Street Journal the idea for the alliance grew out of a series of conversations among bitcoin industry leaders earlier this year about the currency’s potential and its obstacles. The use of bitcoin by criminals, and the image problems associated with it, were seen as a key problem, and this group was proposed as a solution. “It’s really meant to be a very simple, cost-free resource for law enforcement. It’s one-stop shopping for law enforcement to get education and technical assistance on the issues,” he says.
The launch of the Blockchain Alliance was covered by numerous media outlets, including the following:
- American Banker
- Associated Press
- Bitcoin Magazine
- Coin Desk
- Coin Journal
- Financial Times
- Fortune
- Legaltech News
- Let’s Talk Bitcoin! (Mr. Weinstein’s comments begin at 6:58)
- Reuters
- The Wall Street Journal
- The Washington Post
