The popular cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase will host a town hall on Wednesday as the state continues to examine the future possibilities surrounding blockchain technology.
The town hall will be hosted Wednesday at Prevail Coffee in Montgomery. Several Alabama lawmakers and advocates from across the nation will be in attendance.
State Reps. Mike Shaw (R-Hoover) and Phillip Ensler (D-Montgomery) will attend, along with Prevail Coffee’s co-founder Wade Preston, Coinbase’s senior manager of U.S. policy, Ashley Gunn, Coinbase Advisory Council member John Anzalone and Logan Dobson, the executive director of Stand with Crypto, an organization that advocates for crypto in politics.
The town hall will include a panel discussion, during which speakers will discuss the perceived benefits of blockchain technology and cryptocurrency. The event will be followed by a reception. Attendees who RSV will receive a free coffee and an exclusive collectible Non-Fungible Token (NFT).
“The town hall is an opportunity to educate the public on the emergence of crypto currency — especially the benefits to small businesses like Prevail Coffee.,” Ensler told 1819 News. “As crypto becomes more and more a part of our economic system, it is important that Alabama embrace the future while also thinking about reasonable, fair ways to oversee blockchain technology. I’m looking forward to this engaging dialogue about how we can best embrace innovation in Alabama — especially to benefit consumers, small businesses and our overall economy.”
The town hall seems fitting in a state that has jumped into the cryptocurrency fray this year.
Shaw started the ball rolling during the 2024 legislative session by dropping a bill to prohibit the state from restricting the use or storage of digital assets, levying additional taxes on digital assets, restricting digital asset mining, or enacting zoning restrictions or noise restrictions specific to digital asset mining.
The bill ultimately did not advance. However, the legislature did approve Senate Joint Resolution 58, by State Sen. Greg Albritton (R-Atmore), which created the Alabama Blockchain Study Commission. The commission will meet over the next two years to study blockchain and cryptocurrency issues and opportunities in Alabama and how to “increase Alabama's standing as a national leader in the technology and financial services industries.”
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
Don't miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
