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

Figure Abandons Quest to be U.S. Chartered Crypto Bank After Three-Year Fight

Anchorage Digital stands alone as the only OCC-chartered crypto bank after other efforts have fizzled out or been withdrawn.

Figure Technologies CEO Mike Cagney (CoinDesk archives)

Policy

Don’t Pop the Champagne on U.S. Crypto Bills – Progress in Congress Has Been Costly

Though the industry legislation has reached unprecedented heights, the wins may be too messy to open a path to the finish line this year.

(Jesse Hamilton/CoinDesk)

Policy

IRS: Crypto Staking Rewards Taxable Once Investor Gets Hands on Tokens

The latest tax guidance from the Internal Revenue Service outlines how and when staking rewards are taxed.

The IRS has issued guidance on how it intends to tax crypto staking rewards. (Jesse Hamilton/CoinDesk)

Policy

DeSantis Accuses Biden of 'War on Bitcoin,' Vows to Stop It if Elected President

DeSantis is likely referring to the recent action by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) against multiple crypto exchanges.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (Florida State Government)

Policy

U.S. Stablecoin Bill Takes Big Step Despite Fight From Democrats, White House

A long-awaited stablecoin bill graduated from a House committee in a Republican push, leaving the chair of the House Financial Services Committee lamenting that a bipartisan deal was strangled by the White House.

A U.S. Senate committee passed a spending bill with a surprise crypto provision. (Jesse Hamilton/CoinDesk)

Policy

White House Derailed Negotiation on U.S. House Stablecoin Bill: McHenry

A bipartisan agreement on stablecoin legislation was in reach, according to the chair of the House Financial Services Committee, but the ranking Democrat said McHenry halted talks.

The U.S. Capitol (buschap/Flickr)

Policy

Digitex Founder Ordered to Pay $16M to Resolve CFTC Action, Banned From Trading

The CFTC’s 2022 case – its first against a crypto futures exchange for operating illegally – ended in a default judgment against founder Adam Todd.

(Jesse Hamilton/CoinDesk)

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)