The Washington D.C.-based trade association The Chamber of Digital Commerce has announced that it will be holding its first blockchain summit at Georgetown University on March 3.

The packed agenda includes panels about smart contracts, banking and financial services, the recently launched Blockchain Alliance and consumer protections, along with talks with some of the blockchain’s biggest thought leaders and two keynotes anchoring the event.

“We are bringing together industry and government to have a thoughtful discussion about the policy challenges regarding blockchain technology,” said Perianne Boring, founder and president of The Chamber of Digital Commerce, in an interview with Bitcoin Magazine . “Understanding the direction of regulation and compliance is a core competency in fintech, and the blockchain ecosystem is no exception. In today’s competitive landscape, company’s legal and compliance teams have to be as innovative and creative as their products and services.”

As the Bitcoin ecosystem continues to develop, interaction with government agencies has become more common. In November 2015, the Department of Justice in San Francisco held an event that brought together individuals from the government and industry to talk about Bitcoin. It is through these discussions that rational planning can be conducted before disasters.

For example, in the aftermath of the Paris terrorist attack, the European Union was looking to crack down on bitcoin because there was a belief that the terrorists had used it to fund the attack. But through continued education between Bitcoin organizations and governments, it has become clear that law enforcement officials can track transactions on the blockchain to help with their investigations.

“Education of law enforcement agencies and regulators is critical to the success of bitcoin and the blockchain,” Jason Weinstein, partner at Steptoe & Johnson and director of the Blockchain Alliance told Bitcoin Magazine . “By educating law enforcement and regulators directly about this technology, we will reduce their fear or anxiety about it, and make government less likely to overreact to it.”

Boring explained that certain members of Congress, individuals from the Federal Trade Commission, and the FBI had already agreed to attend the event, with the expectation that other organizations would also be in attendance. To encourage government officials to come, the Chamber is offering a discount for all government employees.

The main keynote will be from Don Tapscott who joined the Chamber in October 2015. He is a best-selling author who has written about many of the key moments and concepts in the digital age. His keynote will focus on what new innovations are emerging based on blockchain technology and how these might solve some of the biggest problems in the economy and society.

Some of the presenters are Jeff Garzik, co-founder of Bloq and a Core developer; Vitalik Buterin, founder of Ethereum; Jason Weinstein, partner at Steptoe & Johnson and director of the Blockchain Alliance; and Matthew Roszak, founding partner at Tally Capital, along with many others.

“Events like the DC Blockchain Summit are an important part of that overall effort, bringing industry and government together for a productive and positive dialogue,” said Weinstein.

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