Post-FTX crypto industry needs education before regulation: Former Biden advisor

As a crypto investor with a few years of experience in the industry, I wholeheartedly agree with Moe Vela’s perspective on the need for investor education over stringent regulations. The recent events surrounding FTX have been a wake-up call for the entire crypto community, and it’s essential that we learn from this experience to avoid similar mishaps in the future.


As a crypto investor, I strongly believe that the focus should be on enhancing investor education rather than solely imposing strict regulations in the aftermath of the devastating incident involving the FTX exchange and the substantial loss of $8.9 billion in user funds.

According to Moe Vela, a former senior advisor to President Joe Biden and Unicoin, it is crucial that financial education, with a focus on risk management, forms the bedrock of the crypto industry.

Vela told CryptoMoon in an exclusive interview:

“Education is the fundamental key to empowerment… We will not have equality in any form until we have economic parity. We’re not going to have economic parity until we teach people to be, instead of unsophisticated at anything, sophisticated, and that comes through education.”

A week after FTX unveiled its revised proposition on May 7, which pledged “huge sums in reimbursement,” the senior consultant made his remarks. This compensation is intended for users and creditors of the bankrupt exchange who have been unable to retrieve their funds since late last year.

The collapse of FTX and its more than 130 affiliated companies compelled regulatory bodies to respond by creating new regulations aimed at safeguarding investors. Meanwhile, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) intensified efforts to regulate crypto exchanges in order to prevent future incidents similar to the FTX case.

Instead of focusing on regulations that could hinder the advancement of digital assets, it would be more productive for the industry to prioritize educating less experienced investors, according to Vela’s perspective.

“To my fellow Democrats a bit to my left who are a little overzealous on regulation: Stop it. You’re not doing anybody any favors. It might make you feel good because you think you’re protecting the unsophisticated investor, but rather than then having to over-regulate to protect the unsophisticated investor. Why don’t we make the investors sophisticated?”

Vela plays a consultative role for Unicoin, a cryptocurrency backed by assets, which strives to minimize the volatility common in conventional digital currencies. At the outset of the token’s issuance, Vela recognized that risk management is a crucial consideration for both traditional and crypto investors. He elaborated:

The crypto industry is here to stay and regulators should take note

In light of the growing significance of the cryptocurrency sector in shaping our future economy, it’s crucial that regulatory frameworks encourage innovation, as advocated by Vela.

“How do we create regulation that empowers, protects, and educates? But does not hinder the growth of this sector. Because this industry is here to stay. It is an integral part of our global future… So let’s foster smart growth and safe growth.”

After the fall of FTX, crypto exchanges globally have been working to make their operations more transparent. Binance, the largest exchange in the world, is leading this effort but has not been able to avoid the scrutiny of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

In June 2023, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed lawsuits against Coinbase and Binance Exchange, accusing them of securities law violations. Specifically, in its lawsuit against Binance and its founder Changpeng Zhao, the SEC claimed that they had misused billions of dollars worth of users’ funds.

Although there’s been no proven case of user funds being misused, Binance faced charges for allegedly breaching Anti-Money Laundering regulations and agreed to pay a record-breaking fine of $4.3 billion in penalties.

As a researcher examining regulatory enforcement, I’ve come across a distinct contrast. While some advocate for an innovation-friendly approach, as Vela put it, I’ve encountered regulation that takes a different tack.

“What I preach for is regulation that protects and prevents but does not cripple and destroy [innovation].”

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2024-05-15 15:06