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


Policy

Trial Lawyer Breaks Down Legal Considerations for NFTs and Trademark Law

David Leichtman, a managing partner at law firm Leichtman Law PLLC, said what a brand is protecting “is the value of the brand,” including its name or logo. That's the key issue of the Yuga Labs lawsuit.

Bored Apes (OpenSea, modified by CoinDesk)

Markets

‘Disinflation’ Trends Will Soon ‘Hit a Brick Wall’: Oanda’s Edward Moya

However, the senior market analyst told CoinDesk TV investors should price in at least one to two more interest rate hikes.

(Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Policy

Legal Expert Says Mango Markets Exploit Case Is Wake-Up Call for DAOs

Benjamin Bathgate, partner at Canadian-based law firm McMillan LLP, says the lawsuit against Avraham Eisenberg, the alleged Mango Markets exploiter, could impact how DAOs implement their legal and governing structures in the future.

Avi Eisenberg is accused of fraudulent trading on Mango Markets ((Deon Black, Unsplash)

Tech

Crypto Software Firm President: We're Trying to Make California’s DMV More Efficient With Blockchain

Andrew Smith, president of Oxhead Alpha, discusses why his firm is using the Tezos blockchain to build out the protocol.

(AaronP/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

Tech

AI Company Co-Founder Addresses Ethics of Tom Cruise 'Deepfake' Videos

Celebrities have lawyers “but what about regular people” who find their images altered by AI without their consent? Tom Graham of AI software company Metaphysic says blockchain might be one solution.

Miles Fisher (left) and Tom Cruise (Tiktok/@DeepTomCruise; Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images)

Policy

Commissioner: CFTC Needs More Dialogue With Market Participants to Modernize Regulation

"It’s important for us to know certain facts, information [and] data about the company acquiring a registered market participant” to avoid another FTX debacle, Kristin N. Johnson said on CoinDesk TV.

CFTC Commissioner Kristin N. Johnson (CoinDesk TV)

Policy

Bitcoin Suisse Chairman Says EU Won’t Ban Crypto, but It May Seek to Contain It

Luzius Meisser, chairman of the Swiss crypto firm, weighs in on why the bloc is likely to try to build a firewall around crypto rather than prohibit its use altogether.

The EU's landmark crypto legislation covers a wide range of assets and services. (Vincenzo Lombardo/Getty)

Finance

Coinbase Exec Says Institutional Investors Still Into Crypto Post-FTX

David Duong, head of institutional research at the exchange, says the collapse of Sam Bankman Fried's platform didn’t lead to a pullback.

David Duong, head of institutional research at crypto exchange Coinbase, told CoinDesk TV, that institutional investors have remained committed to crypto, even after the collapse of FTX. (LinkedIn)

Tech

Aptos Labs CEO Says NFTs Will Push Boundaries of Previous Generation Blockchains

Mo Shaikh, co-founder of the layer 1 blockchain, predicts NFTs will be used as a means of payment and will also go mainstream via big brand partnerships.

Mo Shaikh (Aptos Labs)

Consensus Magazine

Stablecoin Regulation Is First on New Subcommittee’s To-Do List, Says Chairman

Rep. French Hill said the digital assets subcommittee plans to use its stablecoins draft as a model for how it will approach digital asset regulation moving forward.

A bill to combat crypto money laundering has been proposed in the U.S. Senate. (Shutterstock)