Global payment blockchain solution Ripple has managed to secure former US President Bill Clinton as a speaker for its autumn technology conference, Swell.
Clinton is set to deliver a keynote speech followed by a Q&A at the San Francisco event on 1 October, as outlined in a blog post from Ripple on Tuesday. The post commends Clinton on his handling of the internet phenomenon during his time in office, as well his endeavors to make technology accessible for underprivileged communities internationally.
Comparing the current period of technological advancements with that of the 1990s ushered by Clinton, Ripple cites his credentials as valuable for interpreting the climate of today which requires a similar ability to balance risk prevention without stifling innovation.
Clinton received a physical Bitcoin from entrepreneur Matt Roszak back in 2016, although his wife Hillary Clinton refused to accept campaign donations made with Bitcoin during her two presidential runs.
Swell will be moderated by Gene Sperling who served as the National Economic Council Director and Adviser for Clinton as well as former President Barack Obama.
Crypto and politics coming to head
As politicians globally have begun demanding some form of regulatory control over the cryptocurrency industry, politics has drawn much closer to the field over the year. While in the US, the Securities and Exchange Commission is tightening its stance on ICOs and has even employed its first ‘crypto czar‘, companies themselves serving the industry are becoming more politically active.
Recent documents show Coinbase as the first of its kind to form its own political action committee (PAC), which would allow the exchange to donate to candidates in the US running for public office that accept crypto donations. As of yet, the PAC has listed no affiliations or lodged any donations, nor did it wish to respond to press requests for comment.
It will be interesting to see in the future if the industry may develop political power via these crypto-friendly PACs.
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