The United States Federal Reserve is set to hold its Payments Innovation Conference tomorrow, October 21, 2025, in Washington, D.C. The agenda is designed to foster discussions on critical topics such as Bitcoin, stablecoins, and other digital assets, bringing together prominent figures from the financial and technology sectors.
This conference marks a significant moment as it will be the first time the Federal Reserve officially dedicates a portion of its own conference proceedings to the discussion of cryptocurrencies.
According to information available on the Federal Reserve's official website, the meeting aims to "consider a broad range of perspectives on how to further innovate and improve the payment system." The event will feature a distinguished lineup of speakers representing key organizations in the digital asset space, including Chainlink, Paxos, Circle, Coinbase, BlackRock, and Franklin Templeton, among others.
Key Discussion Panels and Participants
The conference is structured with several focused discussion panels. The first session, titled "Bridging traditional finance with the digital asset ecosystem," will feature Chainlink Co-Founder Sergey Nazarov. This panel will also include experts from Lead Bank, Fireblocks, and BNY Mellon, providing diverse insights into the integration of traditional finance with digital assets.
Another significant discussion, "Stablecoin use cases and business models," will bring together prominent leaders in the stablecoin market. Participants will include Paxos CEO Charles Cascarilla and Circle President Heath Tarbert, who will explore the evolving landscape and applications of stablecoins.
Coinbase's Chief Financial Officer, Alesia Haas, is slated to participate in a panel on "AI in Payments." She will be joined by Cathie Wood of Ark Invest, Emily Sands from Stripe, and James Tromans representing Google Cloud, to discuss the impact and potential of artificial intelligence within the payments industry.
The final panel, focusing on "Tokenized Products," will feature Rob Goldstein from BlackRock, Jenny Johnson of Franklin Templeton, and DRW's founder Don Wilson. This session is expected to delve into the growing area of tokenization and its implications for financial products.
For the public's accessibility, all sessions will be streamed live on the Federal Reserve's official YouTube channel.
Federal Reserve's Evolving Stance on Digital Currencies
Governor Christopher J. Waller articulated the purpose of the event, stating, "Innovation has been a constant in payments to meet the changing needs of consumers and businesses. I look forward to examining the opportunities and challenges of new technologies." His remarks highlight the Fed's recognition of the dynamic nature of the payments landscape.
This conference signifies a notable shift in the Federal Reserve's historical position regarding digital currencies. Previously, the Fed maintained a distance from official engagements focused on crypto assets, neither hosting nor actively participating in such events. This upcoming conference indicates a readiness by the Federal Reserve to engage, listen, and learn directly from industry leaders in the cryptocurrency space.