Sidley, FSU, and Rutgers Present the 2026 Miami Blockchain Symposium

Sidley was proud to host the 2026 Miami Blockchain Symposium, which took place in person and virtually at Sidley’s Miami office, in collaboration with the Florida State University Institute of Law, Technology and Innovation, the FSU Stoops Center for Law & Business at the FSU College of Law, and the Rutgers Center for Corporate Law and Governance Blockchain and Fintech Program.

This full-day program brought together innovators, policymakers, financial sector leaders, and academic experts for an in-depth examination of the legal, regulatory, and market forces shaping digital assets and blockchain innovation in 2026. The program featured a fireside chat with U.S. Securities and Exchange Commissioner Hester M. Peirce, the designated leader of the SEC’s Crypto Task Force, alongside three substantive panels addressing regulatory developments, policy frameworks, and the next generation of digital financial products. The day concluded with a networking reception.

Sidley partners Kate Lashley, Lilya Tessler, Kristin Teager, and J. David Stewart served as moderators throughout the program. Highlights included the opening panel, “Regulation at an Inflection Point: Lessons From the Past Year and the Road Ahead,” which examined recent regulatory developments and emerging trends, and “Designing the Framework: Policy Objectives, Legislation, and Global Models for Digital Asset Markets,” which focused on legislative priorities and comparative global approaches. The afternoon panel, “From Concept to Scale: Tokenization, Stablecoins, and the Next Wave of Digital Financial Products,” examined the commercialization and scalability of blockchain-based financial solutions.

The fireside chat with Commissioner Peirce was moderated by Yuliya Guseva, Kevin Wood and Mary Jo Peed Professor at Florida State University College of Law, together with Lilya Tessler, and offered insights into the SEC’s evolving approach to crypto regulation and enforcement. The program also featured a keynote address from Jason Holloway, Director of Fintech Policy at the Florida Office of Financial Regulation, and a closing keynote conversation with Francis Suarez, former Mayor of Miami and a leading advocate for blockchain and digital assets.

Through this symposium, Sidley continued its commitment to convening leading voices at the intersection of law, policy, and innovation to advance informed dialogue on blockchain and digital assets.

The networking reception was co-sponsored by Sidley and Walkers.

The Miami Blockchain Symposium was supported by the Avalanche Policy Coalition.