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


Finance

Kevin O’Leary Says Comments From Gensler Killed His Attempts to Help Save FTX

The "Shark Tank" star said he was receiving requests from funds about the crypto exchange, but remarks from the SEC's chairman threw a wrench in the plans.

Kevin O'Leary (Michael Kovac/Getty Images)

Policy

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce: FTX’s Collapse Could Finally Be ‘Catalyst’ for Regulation

“Having the SEC and CFTC work together makes a lot of sense,” Peirce told CoinDesk TV.

SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce (Nikhilesh De/CoinDesk)

Finance

‘Never Let a Good Crisis Go to Waste’: CFTC Commissioner Calls on Congress to Act After FTX Debacle

Kristin N. Johnson discusses the FTX fiasco and why Congress should take a pragmatic approach in closing the regulatory gap.

Kristin N. Johnson, commissioner of Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CoinDesk)

Finance

Binance-FTX Deal Will Bring Regulatory 'Scrutiny’ on Crypto Exchanges: Blockchain Association’s Kristin Smith

The executive director discusses why FTX’s fall from grace is likely to “open up a more robust” debate surrounding regulation for exchanges in future. U.S. Rep. Jim Himes of Connecticut weighs in.

Official Portrait of Congressman Jim Himes, 113th Congress/Kristin Smith from the Blockchain Association (House.gov/Kristin Smith)

Web3

From NFL to NFTs, Tim Tebow Gets Into the College Game With Solana-Based Platform

The two-time college football national champion and Heisman Trophy winner seeks to capitalize on the athletes' freedom to get endorsement deals.

Former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow has started a Solana-based platform for college sports. (Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Finance

Needham's John Todaro Says USDC Is ‘Exciting’ for the Long Term and Will Benefit Coinbase

The vice president at the investment and asset management firm discusses whether the stablecoin could become the “de facto” U.S. central bank digital currency.

(Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images)

Web3

SuperRare NFT Marketplace Launches RarePass for Exclusive Curated Art Drops

The artist-first marketplace will airdrop exclusive art to 250 holders of the subscription-like passes over the course of a year.

Matt Kane, CRYPTOART MONETIZATION GENERATION, 2022 (SuperRare)

Layer 2

What Dance Tells Us About the Uses and Limitations of Art

NFTs may be able to help creators monetize their work, but questions of copyright and ownership have yet to give creators true ownership over their creations.

Woman Strong 1980s Abstract Fashion Model Skipping Dance Pose Pink Blue Purple Pixel Art Cube Block Voxels 3d illustration render (Getty Images)

Tech

Ethereum Merge Had ‘All the Ingredients of a Scammer’s Dream,’ Chainalysis Exec Says

Eric Jardine discusses how scammers were able to capitalize on the second-biggest blockchain’s transition and how $1.2 million in ether was stolen.

(Getty Images)

Finance

Crypto Exchange Binance to Use Twitter as Web 3 ‘Sandbox,’ Help Musk Fend Off Bots: Exec

Patrick Hillman, chief strategy officer at Binance, discusses the goals to help Elon Musk fend off internet bots on Twitter and why Binance sees the potential for Web3 innovation following its $500 investment in the social media company.

Logo 3D de Binance impreso en dorado. (Rob Mitchell/CoinDesk)