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

SEC Blasted on Custody Proposal by JPMorgan, Crypto Firms and a Fellow Agency

The U.S. securities regulator recently proposed requiring investment advisers to keep customers’ crypto assets with “qualified custodians” and is now facing wide criticism for the potential future rule.

Gary Gensler, chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (Evelyn Hockstein-Pool/Getty Images)

Policy

New York Attorney General Seeks New Crypto Powers for State Regulators

The bill would follow legal suits pursued by Letitia James against companies like Celsius, CoinEx and Nexo.

New York Attorney General Letitia James (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

Policy

U.S. SEC Changes Its Mind on Officially Labeling Digital Assets

The Securities and Exchange Commission was about to define “digital asset” but deleted it in the final version of a rule, reversing a move that might have started formalizing crypto’s role.

SEC Chair Gary Gensler (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Policy

RFK Jr. Raises Crypto Taxes, Regulation as Issues in Opening Days of 2024 Presidential Race

Democratic presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. is criticizing the White House effort to establish a 30% tax for crypto mining in the U.S.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announces his candidacy in Boston on April 19. (Scott Eisen/Getty Images)

Policy

White House Pushes for Punitive Tax on Crypto Mining

The Biden administration is campaigning for a tax first sought in a recent federal budget proposal, advocating that crypto miners pay an amount equal to 30% of their energy costs.

Mining rig (Getty Images)

Policy

SEC Chairman Gensler Releases Another Video Dig at Crypto Industry

The regulator made an investor-education video arguing that digital-assets businesses haven't complied with securities laws.

SEC Chair Gary Gensler (CoinDesk screen grab from video)

Policy

House Republicans Make Case on Stablecoin Bill After Democrats Called for Do-Over

Their latest draft legislation sets up shared federal and state oversight and says stablecoins aren’t securities, but it’s uncertain what bipartisan support the effort will find.

Key U.S. lawmakers met Thursday to talk about how to advance stablecoin legislation. (Jesse Hamilton/CoinDesk)

Policy

U.S. Sanctions 3 North Koreans for Supporting Hacking Group Known for Crypto Thefts

The three were engaged in crypto activities themselves, and the U.S. Treasury Department says they were tied to the networks of DPRK entities laundering stolen crypto or moving illicit funds for that country.

U.S. Treasury Department in Washington, D.C. (Jesse Hamilton/CoinDesk)

Policy

U.S. SEC Warns Advisers They Need to Know Crypto Before Recommending to Clients

Brokers and investment advisers have to understand crypto and ensure it's in clients’ best interests before pitching investments, the SEC staff said in a bulletin.

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has postponed spot bitcoin ETF responses for two applicants.  (Jesse Hamilton/CoinDesk)

Policy

Democrats Blast Draft Stablecoin Bill in First 2023 Hearing on Issue

Despite Republican House committee leaders publishing a draft bill and talking about progress, it hasn't been on the bipartisan level required for an eventual law, lawmakers said in a hearing Wednesday.

Reps. Patrick McHenry (left) and Maxine Waters (Alex Wong/Getty Images)