Merkle Science Meet Washington D.C.: The Policy Landscape Reshaping Digital Assets
Join Merkle Science, co-hosted with Arf and Stablecon, and sponsored by Aleo, Duane Morris, Fiat Republic, Utexo and Yellow Card on September 8 at Duane Morris LLP for an afternoon of thought-provoking panels, product demonstrations, and networking with leaders from across payment operators, cross-border liquidity providers, digital assets, banking, compliance, and public policy.
As stablecoins move into the financial mainstream and U.S. policymakers establish the country's first comprehensive federal regulatory framework, financial institutions and crypto firms alike are preparing for a new era of institutional adoption. This event explores the practical implications of the GENIUS Act, the evolution of stablecoin payments, the convergence of traditional banking and digital assets, and the compliance challenges emerging as blockchain-based payment infrastructure scales.
Hear from executives at Arf, Circle, Block, Flutterwave, Anchorage Digital, Aleo, McGuireWoods, and more as they discuss the policies, technologies, and operational strategies shaping the future of regulated digital finance.
Arf is a Swiss-regulated global liquidity and settlement platform building the liquidity layer for the future of cross-border payments. By providing licensed financial institutions with access to settlement liquidity, Arf helps eliminate prefunding, improve capital efficiency, and scale payment volumes and enter new markets without tying up capital. With more than $16 billion in onchain volume, Arf helps financial institutions grow beyond their balance sheets, partnering with leading players including Stellar, Fireblocks, and Visa. We’re thrilled to have Arf as a co-host for this event.
Agenda
1:00 PM – 1:40 PM | Arrival & Networking
Light refreshments and networking with fellow attendees.
1:40 PM – 1:45 PM | Welcome Remarks
Opening remarks from Merkle Science leadership.
Speaker
Mriganka Pattnaik — CEO, Merkle Science
2:00 PM – 2:30 PM | The GENIUS Act & the Future of U.S. Stablecoin Regulation
With the GENIUS Act advancing the first comprehensive federal framework for stablecoin issuance, the compliance and legal landscape for U.S.-based issuers is shifting rapidly. This panel examines what the legislation means in practice, including reserve requirements, audit obligations, issuer licensing, exchange listing considerations, and the interaction between federal oversight and state money transmission regimes. Speakers will discuss what firms should be preparing for today rather than waiting for final rulemaking.
Speakers
Caroline Hill - Senior Director of Global Policy and Regulatory Strategy - Circle
Mark duBose - CRCO - Anchorage Digital
Lindsey Haswell - CLO - Tempo
Christopher Grieco - CLO - Rain
Russel Klein - General Counsel - Avalanche
Markus Franke - Head of Stablecoin - Celo
Moderator: Jo Ann Barefoot - CEO & Cofounder at Alliance for Innovative Regulation
2:30 PM – 2:55 PM | Product Demonstration
Compass, AI & Tracker
See how Merkle Science is leveraging AI and blockchain intelligence to streamline investigations, strengthen compliance workflows, and accelerate digital asset risk management.
2:55 PM – 3:30 PM | Stablecoins, Trust and Liquidity as Infrastructure: Why Compliance and Capital Velocity are Becoming the New Competitive Edge
Stablecoins are increasingly moving beyond proof-of-concept deployments into live payment infrastructure supporting payment operators, cross-border liquidity providers, payroll, B2B settlement and treasury operations. This session explores what production-ready stablecoin payments actually require, from liquidity, redemption mechanisms to banking relationships, compliance controls and operational resilience.
Speakers
Elbruz Yilmaz - CSPO - Arf
Chris Maurice - CEO - Yellow Card
Sinclair Toffa - CEO - Mural
Peter Glyman - CEO - Coinbax
Viktor Ihnatiuk - CEO - Utexo
Moderator: Stephen Rutenberg - Partner - Duane Morris LLP
3:30 PM – 3:50 PM | Networking Break
3:50 PM – 4:20 PM | Bank-Crypto Convergence: How Traditional Finance Is Engaging with Digital Assets
As U.S. regulators signal a more accommodating approach to digital assets, banks are reassessing crypto custody, tokenized deposits, stablecoin issuance, and institutional digital asset services. This discussion examines how traditional financial institutions are adapting their risk frameworks, where investment is occurring, and what this convergence means for crypto-native firms serving institutional clients.
Speakers
Tyler Hand - CCO - Block
Ryan Dusseault - Managing Director - FTI Consulting
Christian Duffus - Founder - Fonbnk
Mo Yusuf - CEO - Fuze
Adam Bialy - CEO - Fiat Republic
Jack Chong - CEO - Checker Finance
Coy Garrison - Deputy General Counsel, Crypto - Robinhood
Moderator: Mauro Wolfe - Partner - Duane Morris LLP
4:25 PM – 4:40 PM | Aleo’s Keynote: Why Stablecoin Privacy ?
Presented by Yaya J. Fanusie, Global Head of Policy at Aleo
4:40 PM – 4:55 PM | Fireside Chat
Chloé Dolsenhe - Senior Bank Regulatory Counsel at Block -and Stephen Rutenberg Partner at Duane Morris LLP
4:55 PM – 5:25 PM | AML & Sanctions Compliance in a Stablecoin-Native World
As stablecoins become part of mainstream payment infrastructure, compliance expectations are becoming increasingly sophisticated. This panel explores how AML programs, sanctions screening, transaction monitoring, blockchain analytics, issuer controls, Travel Rule compliance, and regulatory expectations must evolve to support blockchain-based financial systems at institutional scale.
Speakers
Amanda Di Marchi Peçanha - CCO - Trace Finance
Yaya J. Fanusie - Global Head of Policy - Aleo
David Hirsch - Former SEC enforcement senior officer and Partner at McGuireWoods
Brian Walsh - Sanctions officer BSA Officer - BitGo
David Chachanko - Digital Assets & Compliance - Persona
Moderator: David Contreiras Tyler - Partner - Duane Morris LLP
5:30 PM | Closing Remarks
5:35 PM – 7:00 PM | Drinks & Networking
Continue the conversation with leaders across banking, fintech, payments, crypto, compliance, blockchain analytics, and public policy.
Limited seats available. Registration is required to attend.