Blockchain technology has made the agenda for the October 12, 2017 meeting of the SEC’s Investment Advisory Committee, the SEC announced on September 22, 2017. The Committee will be hosting a two-hour panel discussion among industry insiders concerning “Blockchain and Other Distributed Ledger Technology and Implications for Securities Markets.” Although a more detailed agenda has not been made available, the focus of the panel discussion appears to be on the use of blockchain and DLT in the securities processing and clearance systems. The extent to which it may discuss ICOs is not yet known.

Contrary to certain media reports, this session is for information gathering purposes only. Meeting like this provide an opportunity for the Committee to learn more about these important technologies and their applications in the securities markets and to pass that knowledge on to SEC Commissioners and staff who are responsible for developing, administering and enforcing the Federal securities laws. This Committee does not have any regulatory or enforcement authority; it exists to gather facts and to advise the SEC on a range of regulatory matters.

We will continue to cover the latest developments in this space.