CoinFund President Warns BIS Crypto Containment Approach Poses Systemic Risks

In a sharply worded critique, the president of crypto investment firm CoinFund has characterized the Bank for International Settlements’ proposed framework for regulating digital assets as fundamentally flawed and potentially hazardous to financial stability. The executive argues that the BIS’s containment strategy fails to account for the organic growth mechanisms of decentralized finance ecosystems, instead favoring heavy-handed controls that could drive innovation offshore. This perspective comes amid ongoing global debates about optimal cryptocurrency oversight, with industry leaders increasingly vocal about regulatory approaches that balance consumer protection with technological progress. Market analysts suggest such warnings reflect growing institutional concerns about fragmented policy responses to blockchain-based financial systems.

Perkins warns of liquidity risks if crypto is separated

Perkins had witnessed the 2008 financial crisis firsthand as a trader at Lehman Brothers during its collapse. With that experience, he warns that artificially separating traditional finance from cryptocurrency markets could create liquidity risks. Perkins argues that forcing a division between the 24/7 settlement capability of crypto markets and the time-restricted traditional system would “lead to the next systemic crisis.”

Instead of containment, Perkins advocates for modernizing traditional financial systems to integrate with blockchain technology. “Capital rules should not ‘contain’ public blockchains—they should encourage them!” he argued. He suggested that regulation should focus on updating legacy systems rather than isolating new technology.

The CoinFund president also challenged several other conclusions in the BIS report. He particularly focused on its concerns about information asymmetries in decentralized finance (DeFi).

Perkins questioned the BIS’s criticism regarding anonymous developers in DeFi projects. He also noted that traditional financial institutions typically do not publish lists of their developers.

Perkins also took issue with the BIS’s worry that stablecoins would cause macroeconomic instability in nations like Zimbabwe and Venezuela. “If there is demand for USD stablecoins and it helps improve the condition of anyone in the developing world, perhaps that is a good thing?!” he wrote. He also added that people worldwide deserve access to basic financial services regardless of their country’s monetary stability.