butterscotch is the only media outlet exclusively covering news about inclusion in Web3, DeFi, crypto. CHEWS is our inaugural, weekly newsfeed, providing timely policy updates, industry trends, market research.  www.butterscotch.media

Editorial Note: Monica Talan, Advisor & Contributor to butterscotch Media, provided content for this issue.

butterscotch Media is headed to Vegas for the National Association of Broadcasters conference on April 13-17. Watch NAB video with CEO Cleve Mesidor, as she discusses the vision for the digital news studio. 

To commemorate National Financial Literacy Month, U.S. Representatives Joyce Beatty (OH-3) and Young Kim (CA-40), Co-Chairs of the Congressional Financial Literacy and Wealth Creation Caucus, are hosting a resource fair on April 18 at 11AM. Decentralized finance is among the group's topic areas. Blockchain Foundation, a 501 c3 nonprofit, will exhibit during the event. 

This Tuesday, U.S. Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo is expected to discuss digital assets during a U.S. Senate Banking Committee hearing about countering illicit finance. Last month, Adeyemo sent a letter to the Senate Banking and House Financial Services Committees calling for the passage of legislation that would broaden the Treasury Department's oversight authority over crypto transactions. The hearing is April 9 at 10AM in 538 Dirksen Senate Office Building.

Also, on 4/9, Chastity Murphy, Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for Financial Institutions at Dept of  Treasury, will speak during the Bitcoin Policy Summit in Washington DC. She previously served as a senior economic policy advisor for U.S. Representative Rashida Tlaib (MI-12). She recently told Forbes, "Digital payments represent both a technological disruption and an opportunity and I do think that they challenge traditional banking models and have the potential in the underlying technology to open new avenues for innovation and inclusion."

Amber T. Seira, Financial Policy Analyst at the Federal Reserve, has co-authored another report on digital assets, Tokenized Assets on Public Blockchains: How Transparent is the Blockchain?

She previously served as an Obama Presidential Appointee and a Fulbright Scholar in Peru.

During last month’s Securities and Exchange Commission forum, “SEC Speaks,” the Director of the agency’s Division of Enforcement Gurbir S. Grewal delivered remarks that were clearly intended to attack the crypto industry. For good measure, he conveniently dropped the 'inclusion' bomb:

“The predatory inclusion tactics that certain crypto entities are directing at Black, brown, and other marginalized communities are extremely troubling. Here, I’m talking about the familiar (but so far unsupported) narratives that crypto will increase financial inclusion; that it will uplift the unbanked or underbanked; and that it will help them build wealth and increase upward mobility.”

This struck me as hypocritical and proof the SEC views people of color as 'pawns' in their tussle with crypto companies.

The SEC uses lip service to victimize people of color, but that same SEC advances new rules to help the wealthy easily profit from crypto - As evidenced by their approval of bitcoin futures and spot ETFs, and recent approval for Prometheum to custody ETH. 

Invoking actor Will Smith, my response is next time SEC Speaks, “keep people of color out of your mouths” because you clearly do not see, hear, or care about the substantive work that vibrant, inclusive communities in crypto are leading. According to the SEC, the founders and creators featured in this newsletter week after week are gullible and have no agency.

Makes me wanna holler!

Warning! Scammers Are Pretending to Be Who They Are Not. Con artists are copycatting social media profiles, businesses, organizations, etc.

Good rule to follow: If any social media account from anyone (fake or not) offers to sell you crypto, help you invest in crypto, invite you to join their group - BLOCK & REPORT them immediately. Crypto does not require intermediaries. Do your own research. Keep your investments private.

GOOD READS:

Google is suing scammers over fake crypto investment apps

U.S. Army Factsheet on Social Media Impostors

U.S. Army offers tips on how to avoid scams

Edge Of's Head of Partnerships Audrey Pichy is blazing new trails: Outer Edge - Riyadh takes place on April 23.  She was one of the earliest members of the company that hosts Outer Edge|LA annually (formerly NFT|LA). Apply to Attend.

Marisa Estrada Rivera (AKA Ritzy P) joined May and Rachel Wilkins for a session about “Harnessing NFTs for Good” during NFTNYC last week.

Crypto Tutors has partnered with Block to convene a Bitcoin Financial Empowerment Tour. The next stop is Oakland on April 12.

Betsabe Botaitis, Chief Financial Officer at Hedera, recently moderated a session during the World Economic Forum in Davos. She discussed WEF on the Chronicle Discussions podcast. 

Bitcoin mining analyst Brandon Bailey, previously with Galaxy Digital Holdings recently discussed how bitcoin mining stocks are performing in advance of the Halving.

Today: Cleve Mesidor is speaking at the Fintech Is Femme Leadership Summit in NYC during Empire Startups’ Fintech Week

Have News To Share? Tell us about your bitcoin halving parties.

Send tips to cleve@butterscotch.media

butterscotch is a digital news studio broadcasting stories about Black, Latino, Indigenous DeFi retail investors, Web3 consumers, founders, executives, officials. The virtual newsroom - featuring eNews, Podcast, Live Events – seeks to deepen mainstream understanding of diverse segments of the emerging $2 trillion crypto industry.

Cleve Mesidor, CEO & Managing Editor, butterscotch Media