Fran Velasquez

Fran is CoinDesk's TV writer and reporter. He is an alum of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and CUNY's Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, where he earned his master's in business and economic reporting. In the past, he has written for Borderless Magazine, CNBC Make It, and Inc. He owns no crypto holdings.

Fran Velasquez

Latest from Fran Velasquez


Web3

Polygon's Mission ‘Has Always Been Mass Adoption of Web3,’ Co-Founder Says

That can only happen with mainstream companies, Sandeep Nailwal said.

(MicroStockHub)

Tech

Arbitrum Airdrop Shows Interest in DeFi, Researcher Says

DappRadar's Pedro Herrera says decentralized finance may be benefiting from the troubles at traditional banks and regulators' actions against centralized exchanges.

(Getty Images)

Markets

Bitcoin Is Still in Its ‘Safe Haven Period’: Analyst

Bitcoin is over $28,000 on Thursday, up more than 20% in the last month. Mark Connors, 3IQ head of research, attributes part of that rise to uncertainty in the banking sector and the arrests of Do Kwon and Sam Bankman-Fried.

Mark Connor (3IQ)

Web3

The Metaverse Is Facing a ‘Cooldown Moment’ Amid Crypto Winter

That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, Cathy Hackl, chief metaverse officer at Journey, told "First Mover."

(Cathy Hackl, modificada por Kevin Ross/CoinDesk)

Policy

Coinbase Chief Legal Officer: There’s ‘A Lot to Unpack’ in CFTC’s Filing Against Binance

Paul Grewal added that despite its own issues with U.S. regulators, Coinbase is "not going anywhere" right now.

Paul Grewal (Coinbase)

Policy

Former CFTC Chairman: Regulator's Lawsuit Against Binance 'Is a Big Deal'

The level of detail in the CFTC's filing is “really quite striking," Timothy Massad told CoinDesk TV’s “First Mover.”

Former CFTC Chairman Timothy Massad (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Finance

Former CFTC Chair Giancarlo: A Privacy-Protecting U.S. CBDC Could ‘Take Over the World’

Mass adoption depends on a digital dollar designed to be free of surveillance tools, the Digital Dollar Project co-founder said.

(J. Christopher Giancarlo)

Policy

Former SEC Branch Chief Explains Why U.S. Has Jurisdiction in Do Kwon Case

Lisa Braganca believes that the crypto entrepreneur knowingly pitched investments in the UST and LUNA tokens to Americans.

Lisa Braganca, a former enforcement branch chief at the SEC, said Do Kwon marketed his digital tokens to U.S. investors, placing him under U.S. jurisdiction. (CoinDesk TV)

Policy

Crypto Advocate Sees 'Silver Lining' for the Industry in SEC's Warning to Coinbase

Brett Quick from the Crypto Council for Innovation said the upshot could be clearer rules for digital-asset firms.

Brett Quick head of government affairs at global alliance firm Crypto Council for Innovation, sees a positive for crypto in the SEC's possible lawsuit against Coinbase. (Twitter)

Policy

SVB Financial’s First Bankruptcy Hearing ‘Wasn’t Really So Routine,’ Says Legal Expert

The former Silicon Valley Bank holding company needs access to the bank's FDIC-controlled funds to pay creditors and support two other operations, says Kleinberg, Kaplan partner Dov Kleiner.

Dov Kleiner, partner at Kleinberg, Kaplan, Wolff & Cohen, P.C. (kkwc.com)