Karsten Wenzlaff, Advisor
August 26th, 2025
Karsten Wenzlaff is a Crowdfunding and Fintech Expert from Germany. He is Secretary-General of Digit[...]
Category Archives: Web3, Decentralization, DAOs
Ethereum Targets $1 Trillion in Security Upgrades
Crypto Security | May 16, 2025
Image from Ethereum 1TS announcement
Ethereum Launches $1 Trillion Security Push to Protect Global On-Chain Assets
On May 14, 2025, the Ethereum Foundation anounced a $1 Trillion Dollar Security (1TS) Initiative, a long term project to strengthen the security of the entire Ethereum ecosystem to support a future where trillions of dollars in value could move on-chain. The reality is that security isn't just a technical issue. It is the single biggest barrier to mainstream adoption of Web3, and Ethereum knows it.
See: Fintechs Face Rising SaaS Security Risks, JPMorgan CISO
Today, Ethereum is responsible for more than 50 percent of all total value locked (TVL) in decentralized finance platforms, already securing over $400 billion in on-chain assets. However a rise of exploits and protocol breaches unveil how fragile Ethereum's infrastructure actually is so the 1TS project aims to reinforce it.
How Big Is the Security Problem?
In 2024, hackers stole over $1.8 billion across crypto platforms with Ethereum-based DeFi applications accounting for more than half of the total losses. Despite improvements in protocol security, new vulnerabilities continue to be exploited at scale, such as:
- $290 million at PlayDapp lost after attackers exploited access controls to mint unauthorized tokens
- $97 million stolen at Muchables by a rogue developer through a smart contract backdoor
- $80 million at Orbit Chain was drained from an Ethereum bridge used for cross-chain transfers
- $55 million at Radiant Capital was lost through an access control flaw in Ethereum-based lending contracts
Notably the above figures don't include the growing number of targeted phishing campaigns, wallet drainers, and socially engineered scams that increasingly use AI to impersonate trusted actors and to slay 'pig butchering'. Collectively, these exploits show that Ethereum's security environment still has a way to go. For many prospective users and certainly institutions, the constant threat of permanent asset loss is a significant barrier to adoption and long term trust.
Goals and Leadership of 1TS
1. Map the risk. The Ethereum Foundation is conducting a full-stack vulnerability analysis, including risks in wallets, smart contract tooling, L2 infrastructure, consensus layer code, and even DNS and internet infrastructure.
2. Fund what matters. 1TS will identify the highest priority attack surfaces and fund long term solutions. These could include upgrades to client software, fuzz testing, formal verification, or developer tooling that requires and enforces safer default settings.
See: Spot Ethereum ETFs Debut in the U.S. (Without Staking)
3. Communicate clearly. The final goal is to make Ethereum’s security infrastructure easier to understand, and to establish transparent benchmarks and metrics that will allow users, enterprises, and governments to compare the safety of Ethereum’s ecosystem to other financial systems.
The 1TS initiative is being led by Fredrik Svantes, Ethereum Protocol Security Lead, and Josh Stark, part of the Ethereum Foundation’s core leadership. They are joined by several other well known people from the security ecosystem, all bringing deep experience in incident response, smart contract audits, and secure protocol design.
What to Get Involved?
The Ethereum Foundation is opening the initiative to input from the community. Anyone can share suggestions, flag concerns, or apply to collaborate by completing this form or to discuss, reach out to the team directly by email at trilliondollarsecurity@ethereum.org.
Outlook
If Ethereum wants to be the financial base layer for billions of people, it needs a security model at least as robust as global banking systems. The Trillion Dollar Security Initiative is welcomed and necessary to get to the next step. It is about showing regulators, institutions, and the public that Ethereum and all the companies and transactions that feed off of the ecosystem can scale safely.
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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Will Crypto Lobbying Tokens Change Political Fundraising?
Crypto | April 28, 2025
Image: Freepik/pikisuperstar
Trump's Meme Coin Dinner Contest Raises Questions About Crypto's Role in Political Fundraising
Never a dull moment. Last week, Trump announced a special dinner with the President for the top 220 token holders (see gamified leaderboard) of his $TRUMP meme coin. The event is scheduled to take place May 22, 2025 at the at Trump National Golf Club near Washington, D.C.
See: Memecoins, Regulation, and the SEC’s Changing Strategy
Following the news the token surged more than 50% in value, however the presidential self-promotion has triggered more ethical concerns including calls for impeachment by U.S. Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff who warns that selling access to a sitting president via a crypto contest could constitute 'an impeachable offense'.
Beyond Traditional Donations
Historically, political donations are highly regulated with disclosure rules, donation caps, and transparency requirements but Trump's meme coin crypto model offers anyone who buys his $TRUMP token and holds it during the contest (no political donation required), can get access to a sitting president without any sort of formal tracking or financial reporting.
The Federal Election Commission regulates official campaign fundraising but crypto tokens tied to personal brands or unofficial committees fall outside of their oversight.
The contest fuelled interpretation rumours that a minimum of $300,000 would be required to get on the list, however Trump's meme coin social team clarified on x.com that anyone could join the dinner if they are one of the top 220 token holders. As of April 28, the 220th on the leaderboard is holding about 898 tokens or a value of approx 13k USD. Participants in the contest must register their rankings which are based on time weighted holdings for the duration of the contest period.
See: Trump’s Launch Meme Coins Sparking Crypto Frenzy
The $TRUMP team also clarified that insider held tokens will remain locked for an additional 90 days to avoid concerns of a rug pull where early holders dump tokens after promotional events.
Ethics Storm and Impeachment Threats
Offering personal access to a sitting president in exchange to boost their personal token value has alarmed lawmakers. As reported by Decrypto, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Adam Schiff have called for a federal ethics investigation. Senator Jon Ossoff went further, suggesting that the arrangement could justify impeachment if it is found that Trump broke the rules of how public officials and sitting presidents are supposed to behave.
Why It Matters
President Trump is sidestepping rules of how politicians are meant to act, and at the same time, cryptocurrencies are enabling politicians to raise money directly with fewer rules.
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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BIS on Embedding Regulation Inside Smart Contracts
DeFi | April 24, 2025
Image: Freepik/fullvector
Embedding Regulation in Smart Contracts Helps But Real World Accountability Still Needed
In April 2025, the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) published a new report called 'Cryptocurrencies and decentralised finance: functions and financial stability implications' that could impact how regulators approach decentralized finance (DeFi). For the first time, the BIS explores the idea that smart contracts could help enforce certain regulatory rules within the code itself. To be clear, the BIS doesn't say that smart contract algorithms will replace oversight but it suggests that certain protections like disclosure requirements or prohibiting (or limiting) risk transactions could be built directly into the code.
See: Innovative Approaches to Smarter Regulation
At the same time, the BIS makes it clear that code alone is not enough. Behind every protocol is a developer, a team, or a group of people in-real-life (IRL) that makes decisions when designing or maintaining the system. These people often manage access, risk settings and upgrades. The BIS is saying that if DeFi is going to be safe and trusted then regulators must consider both the smart contract system and the people who develop and influence it.
Can Regulation Be Embedded Directly in Smart Contracts?
Self-executing smart contracts are at the heart of DeFi. They allow users to lend, borrow, trade, and stake assets without relying on intermediaries like a centralized financial institution. Once a smart contract is deployed to the blockchain, it executes transactions exactly as coded, without exceptions. This fact makes them potentially powerful tools for embedding and enforcing basic safeguards to protect stakeholders that interact with these contracts like investors.
The BIS seems to support this concept (BIS Paper No. 156, page 22):
“Regulation could then be embedded in smart contracts to make sure that rules were met. Examples… include ensuring that smart contracts were executed in line with the status of the ledger, that the disclosure of information took place or that ‘best execution’ requirements have been met.”
See: Stablecoin Payments Have Wings – Are You Ready?
What this means is that if a smart contract fails to meet a preset condition, such as price fairness or a collateral threshold requirement, it could automatically trigger a manual review. This would reduce the need for full manual checks on all transactions, and the smart contracts could require public disclosures are met before transactions were allowed. These types of technical safeguards would run automatically and help reduce fraud, bias, or delay. But the BIS says, automation has limits.
Someone Still Interprets Rules and Writes Code
The BIS highlights that smart contracts do not govern themselves. That is, behind every DeFi protocol is a group of developers (tech/business/legal/investor or otherwise) that decides how the code will work, who can update it, and affect the direction it takes.
BIS quotes on Page 21:
“It would be useful to analyse the entities (and persons) exerting de facto control of a DeFi protocol…”
See: BIS and Bank of Canada Launch BIS Toronto Innovation Centre
In many DeFi systems, the people involved are often anonymous or semi-anonymous, yet they can often have administrative access or governance power. Given the high stakes in such a financial system, it raises serious questions about accountability. Who is on the hook when problems arise?
Why It Matters for Canada
Canada has a strong, innovative, and growing DeFi community with many projects being launched and experimented with. These project teams often create complex and secure smart contracts but may lack a clear acc0untability structure so users can face real risks. The BIS's report outlines two layers of protection related to governance.
1. The first is technical. Smart contracts could/should enforce baseline rules around transparency, fairness, and market integrity, without human intervention.
2. The second is organizational. Developers and governance teams must be identifiable, transparent, and where appropriate, regulated. That could mean setting minimum standards, requiring disclosures, or creating a new legal category for protocol operators.
The HM Treasury in the United Kingdom released a paper in February 2023 titled "Future financial services regulatory regime for cryptoassets" that discusses various options for bringing DeFi activities into the regulatory perimeter - section 11.6:
See: DeFi Technologies Eyes Nasdaq Listing and Global Expansion
"One option for regulating DeFi is to define a set of DeFi-specific activities – e.g. 'establishing or operating a protocol' – as regulated activities under the RAO (or DAR). The persons carrying out those activities would then require authorisation, and the FCA could design a bespoke regime around these regulated activities."
Outlook
The BIS report covers a range of updated views on cryptocurrency topics, as adoption continues to grow globally. The BIS is looking for a path that DeFi can grow (not advocating to centralize or shut it down) but with guardrails to protect users and the financial system. Smarter regulation is where 'code and community' can collaborate with a novel system pushing boundaries.
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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Join EasyA x Consensus Hackathon in Toronto | May 14–16 🚀
Consensus | April 16, 2025
Calling All Builders, Creators & Big Thinkers! Pitch. Build. Win. Get Spotted.
We’re excited to share an incredible opportunity for NCFA members and the fintech community! EasyA, one of the fastest-growing UK-based EdTech apps, is teaming up with Consensus to host an awesome hackathon + pitch competition from May 14–16 in Toronto.
5 Top Reasons to Join the EasyA Consensus Toronto Hackathon
1. Millions in prize money is up for grabs💰
2. No coding experience needed as great ideas, presentation skills, and hustle are just as valuable
3. Network with VCs, founders, and tech leaders
See: Win Free Tickets to Consensus 2025! NCFA Pitch the Future Contest
4. Free ticket(s) to Consensus 2025 (yes, where Kevin O'Leary and other unicorn founders will speak)
5. Past participants have been backed by Y Combinator, a16z etc
Whether you’re a student, founder, creative, or fintech aficionado, this is your opportunity to connect and build the next big thing. Don’t miss out check out the highlight video from the last one!
👉 Register by April 27 to Get Guaranteed Access here
Want to join a team? Contact NCFA and let us know you want to participate (info@ncfacanada.org)
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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Win Free Tickets to Consensus 2025! NCFA Pitch the Future Contest
Consenus 2025 | April 7, 2025
🔥 NCFA Ticket Giveaway Campaign 🔥 Win a Free Pro Pass to Consensus Toronto 2025!
NCFA Canada is excited to be an official Community Partner for Consensus Toronto 2025, happening May 14–16 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Produced by CoinDesk, Consensus is the world’s most influential gathering of leaders in blockchain, crypto, Web3, and digital finance—bringing together founders, regulators, investors, policymakers, developers, and creators from around the globe.
See: Consensus 2025 Toronto | Spotlight on Canadian Speakers
With the conference just over a month away, we’re celebrating by launching the “Pitch the Future” Ticket Giveaway Contest — your chance to win a FREE Pro Pass (worth $950 USD) and join the action in Toronto alongside thousands of Web3 innovators.
Have a bold idea, future trend, or big vision? Building something cool and want to share it with the world? Tell us why you should be there, and you just might be!
🚀Pitch The Future Contest Details
1. WHEN
The ticket giveaway runs from now until April 30, 2025
2. ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible to participate, follow both NCFA and @consensus2025 on at least one of our social channels like Instagram, X, Facebook or @CoinDesk #Consensus2025 on LinkedIn, depending on where you post your entry.
3. HOW TO ENTER
Post any one of the following (we’re keeping it flexible and fun!):
- 🔮 A bold idea or prediction about the future of Web3, fintech, or crypto
- 🛠️ A quick description of what you're building or working on
- 🙋♀️ A few words on why you want to attend or why you should win a free ticket
Your pitch can be a short video, text post, image, or attachment—we’re open to creative formats!
➡️ Be sure to tag @ncfacanada and @consensus2025 and use the hashtag #Consensus2025.
4. WINNER SELECTION and DISTRIBUTION
- 🎉 Two winners will each receive One (1) Pro Pass to Consensus 2025
- Winners will be announced on May 1, 2025 via NCFA’s website and social channels
- Winners will be contacted privately and must confirm attendance.
- If unconfirmed within a reasonable time, an alternate winner may be selected.
5. 🔁 Social Sharing Best Practices
Help spread the word and support the community:
- Tag @consensus2025 on X
- Tag @CoinDesk on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram
- Use #Consensus2025 in all contest-related posts
- Encourage your network to follow NCFA and Consensus Toronto for future updates
🔔 Don’t Miss Out!
Whether you're building the future, predicting it, or just hungry to be part of it, this is your shot to join the global Web3 community at Canada’s biggest crypto event of the year. Get your post up before April 30, and we’ll see you in Toronto!
See: 🚀 Join NCFA at Consensus 2025 Toronto May 14-16
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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SEC’s Crypto Roundtable Reveals Friction, Few Answers
Crypto Roundtable | March 25, 2025
Image: Freepik
SEC's First Crypto Roundtable A Step Forward, But Not Far Enough
On March 21, 2025, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) held its first public roundtable focused on crypto. Interim SEC Chair, Mark Uyeda, delivered opening remarks, and started by admitting that the law hasn't kept pace with digital asset innovation.
See: SEC Commissioner Peirce Consults on Crypto Regulations
Uyeda pointed out that U.S. courts can’t even agree on how to apply the Howey Test, a legal rule from 1946 that’s often used to decide if something is an investment contract. Some courts say what happens after someone buys a token matters most. Others say what happens before the sale is enough. This kind of confusion makes it hard for the industry to know what rules to follow. While the SEC's hope is that the roundtable was a first step towards more clarity and a better approach towards regulating crypto, some lawmakers felt that the SEC's first crypto roundtable was a missed opportunity.
Old Questions, Few Answers
Bitcoin.com reported that the discussions were fiery. Some panelists said most crypto tokens are clearly securities. Others argued the old rules don’t fit new technologies.
- John Reed Stark, a former SEC enforcement official said he believes people are buying crypto to make money and as a result they are 'investors' not hobbyists collecting things. He also said that he's even received threats for supporting stronger crypto regulations.
- enjamin Schiffrin, a policy expert from Better Markets, added that many broker websites list crypto assets right next to displaying stocks and bonds, and if that’s how it’s being offered to the public then it doesn’t make much sense to treat digital assets differently.
- Teresa Goody Guillen, a lawyer at BakerHostetler, asked whether or not a legal rule from the 1940's (aka Howey Test) was even the right tool for crypto? She said blockchain isn’t just a new product, it’s a whole new way of doing business, and old rules might not fit.
As illustrated by the comments above, not everyone agreed and there's still no consensus on how to classify digital assets.
A Missed Opportunity for Coordination
A former prosecutor and crypto lawyer Renato Mariotti penned an OpEd for CoinDesk, said the roundtable was disappointing. While he agreed it was better than the SEC’s past approach of regulating by enforcement, he felt the discussion focused too much on old arguments instead of evaluating solutions.
See: SEC Confirms Crypto PoW Mining is Not a Security
He was also quick to point out that the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), another key regulator for crypto, wasn't involved at all or even mentioned during the session. As such the SEC missed a chance to contribute ideas that will help shape new crypto laws currently being discussed in Congress.
Outlook
Industry just wants clear rules, and in order to develop them, it's important for the SEC and CFTC to cooperate with everyone at the table. Lessons to learn here. The next roundtable will focus on DeFi and stablecoins, where clarity is also badly needed.
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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SEC Confirms Crypto PoW Mining is Not a Security
Regulation | March 21, 2025
Image: Freepik
SEC says Proof-of-Work mining doesn’t fall under U.S. securities laws
On March 20 2025, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC), Corporate Finance Division, issued a statement making it clear that mining crypto on proof-of-work (PoW) networks like Bitcoin isn’t considered a securities transaction. That includes both solo miners (operators) or if someone is part of a mining pool (pooled miners) operating in the U.S. do not need to register with the SEC.
Howey Test Doesn’t Apply Here
This update from the SEC gives the crypto mining community more clarity about where they stand legally in the U.S. as solo or pooled PoW miners. The message is if you’re earning tokens by providing computational effort to secure a PoW network, that doesn't count as investing in a security.
See: Fidelity Report Insights on Digital Assets in 2025
The reasoning is that the infamous Howey Test (used to help determine whether or not an activity is considered a security), is only a security if profits are expected mainly from another party's managerial or entrepreneurial work. In the case of PoW mining, the reward is derived from the miner's own work/effort and hardware, so the activity is not akin to an investment security.
The same statement applies to mining pools where many miners group together and share computing power to improve their chances of solving cryptographic puzzles to earn block rewards. Even when rewards are split and managed by a pool operator, the SEC said the core activity remains technical and administrative, and as such is not an investment contract.
Pushback from Within the SEC, but Industry Welcomes Clarity
Not everyone at the SEC agrees though. Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw issued a dissenting opinion on the same day, saying the analysis was too broad and should be handled on a case by case basis. She warned that some mining setups could involve passive income arrangements that might still fall under securities rules.
See: Marathon Bitcoin Miner Ventures into Whisky Barrels
Still, most reactions online have welcomed the added legal clarity and Bitcoin advocates see this as a win for decentralization. Some have noted that this may influence policy beyond the U.S. and could help shape mining rules in other jurisdictions, such as Canada.
Outlook
While the statement doesn't alter the environmental debates around PoW, it potentially lowers compliance risks and may encourage investment in mining infrastructure. At the end of the day, 'Crypto miners can keep on digging'.
The National Crowdfunding & Fintech Association (NCFA Canada) is a financial innovation ecosystem that provides education, market intelligence, industry stewardship, networking and funding opportunities and services to thousands of community members and works closely with industry, government, partners and affiliates to create a vibrant and innovative fintech and funding industry in Canada. Decentralized and distributed, NCFA is engaged with global stakeholders and helps incubate projects and investment in fintech, alternative finance, crowdfunding, peer-to-peer finance, payments, digital assets and tokens, artificial intelligence, blockchain, cryptocurrency, regtech, and insurtech sectors. Join Canada's Fintech & Funding Community today FREE! Or become a contributing member and get perks. For more information, please visit: www.ncfacanada.org
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