Jesse Hamilton

Jesse Hamilton is CoinDesk's deputy managing editor on the Global Policy and Regulation team, based in Washington, D.C. Before joining CoinDesk in 2022, he worked for more than a decade covering Wall Street regulation at Bloomberg News and Businessweek, writing about the early whisperings among federal agencies trying to decide what to do about crypto. He’s won several national honors in his reporting career, including from his time as a war correspondent in Iraq and as a police reporter for newspapers. Jesse is a graduate of Western Washington University, where he studied journalism and history. He has no crypto holdings.

Jesse Hamilton

Latest from Jesse Hamilton


Policy

A Second Round of the Lummis-Gillibrand Crypto Bill Elevates CFTC, Defines DeFi

Last year’s prominent U.S. crypto legislation from a bipartisan pair of senators is back for a reboot that imagines a less prominent role for the SEC than Chair Gary Gensler has in mind.

U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) is one of the lawmakers asking for more information after the SEC's X account was compromised on Tuesday. (Shutterstock/CoinDesk)

Policy

Binance Feels Strain of World’s Regulators Leaping Into Action

This week’s Australian probe, which sought out Binance employees outside the office, is only one of a growing list of legal entanglements facing the world’s biggest crypto exchange.

Binance CEO Changpeng “CZ” Zhao (CoinDesk, modified by PhotoMosh)

Policy

Big Banks, NY Fed’s Innovation Group See Merit in Digital Ledgers for Global Payments

NY Fed’s innovation center worked with Citi, HSBC and other banks on the concept of a network for wholesale payments on a shared ledger, finding the idea has potential benefits.

(David Merrett/Flickr)

Policy

The Crypto Industry’s New Favorite Punching Bag – Prometheum – Asks for a Chance

Its SEC-praising co-CEO insists he’s pro-crypto and just needs a little time to prove his company can trade digital assets, even if the token issuers would rather it didn’t.

Prometheum founder and co-CEO Aaron Kaplan went on CoinDesk TV to discuss is Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) broker-dealer license approval. (CoinDesk)

Policy

U.S. Judge Rejects Binance.US Complaint Over SEC Press Release

The exchange had complained that regulators made “misleading” public statements about the Binance’s handling of customer funds.

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (Jesse Hamilton/CoinDesk)

Policy

FTX Bankruptcy Team Says the Exchange Owed Customers $8.7B

Commingling and misuse of customer funds occurred from the start at FTX, says current CEO John J. Ray III, and senior executives knew of the shortfall as early as August 2022.

(Elizabeth Napolitano / CoinDesk)

Policy

Coinbase Wins Supreme Court Ruling in Arbitration Lawsuit

The company's clear legal victory in the U.S. high court isn't about crypto, but it could play into future court disputes for all businesses.

U.S. Supreme Court (Al Drago/Getty Images)

Policy

Fed Chair Powell Says Central Bank Needs ‘Robust’ Role Overseeing U.S. Stablecoins

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell testified in the House Financial Services Committee, saying Fed staff has been in talks with lawmakers on crypto legislation that is expected to be marked up in July.

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Policy

CFTC to Review Prediction Market Kalshi’s Contracts to Bet on Control of Congress

The U.S. derivatives regulator has scheduled a June 26 meeting to discuss starting another review to evaluate whether to approve Kalshi’s event contracts.

Kalshi will have a prediction contract weighed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. (Jesse Hamilton/CoinDesk)

Policy

U.S. Banking Watchdog Makes Case for Tokenization, Just Not on Public Blockchains

OCC chief Michael Hsu – a crypto critic – argued asset tokenization is the future, but he said centralized efforts are the way ahead.

Acting OCC Chief Michael Hsu (Jesse Hamilton/CoinDesk)