We are often called upon to help policy organizations understand what open blockchains are, how they work, and what they can do.

June has been a busy month for Coin Center. In addition to directly advocating for sound policy toward open blockchains, such as by responding to a recent anti-money laundering law in Congress, we are also a resource for policymakers that are seeking to learn more about these technologies.

Here’s a small snapshot of some of the educational outreach we’ve done over the last week:

We participated in a staff briefing for the House Committee On Agriculture, which oversees the CFTC. The briefing was a “blockchain 101” session that covered the technology, its capabilities, and differentiated between the different types of blockchains out there.

Today we’re briefing House Agriculture Committee staff along with @BlockchainSmith https://t.co/6YOav5LMKy — Coin Center (@coincenter) June 23, 2017

We were part of the American Bankers Association’s annual Payments Forum conference. During his panel, Coin Center executive director Jerry Brito helped the audience grasp what “blockchain” is and what it can realistically deliver in the context of payments:

Blockchain technology consists of three distinct parts, said Jerry Brito, executive director of Coin Center, a D.C.-based advocacy group. The blockchain itself, a series of containers enclosing time-ordered data in an unbreakable and distinct block, linked together; peer to peer networking; and a consensus mechanism, where all participants can agree on the rules of the road and monitor transactions as they happen.

Similarly, our research director Peter Van Valkenburgh presented at the National Governors Association’s National Summit on State Cybersecurity. His talk was one he’s given in Congress before, that answers the question, “What is ‘Blockchain’ Anyway?”

And finally, Peter is at the World Bank’s Blockchain Lab this week to discuss opportunities to apply open blockchains in building a more inclusive financial system for the developing world.