The blockchain industry is in flux. Amid policy changes from the new administration, everyone from blockchain industry insiders to crypto traders are recalibrating their approach to the dynamic field.

On March 11–12, industry experts, policy makers, faculty, students, and crypto enthusiasts gathered at USC campus for the annual VanEck Southern California Blockchain Conference, co-hosted by the VanEck Digital Assets Initiative (VEDA) and Blockchain@USC. Across the two-day conference, panelists and speakers exchanged ideas about the shifting landscape of blockchain.

In a fireside chat, USC Marshall Dean Geoffrey Garrett was joined by Jan van Eck, CEO of VanEck, the global investment management firm, and Jon Ledecky, co-owner of the NHL team, the New York Islanders. The trio explored the blockchain industry, reflecting on the future of the technology, its emerging globalization, and van Eck’s advice for investors not yet involved in bitcoin.

“[Bitcoin is] more than 30% of my personal portfolio,” van Eck said. “I say just start with something, start with a quarter of a percent to get involved.”

Garrett and van Eck also remarked on the growing role of the new administration as related to cryptocurrencies, empowering development and catalyzing the mining of bitcoin.

“We’ve had these two serious things [in the current administration] — one is a pledge to deregulate and bring the industry back to the U.S. The second was this announcement of crypto strategic reserves last week,” Garrett observed.

Over the next four years, van Eck sees potential in the development of stablecoins, cryptocurrencies whose value is linked to an existing currency, such as dollars or euros. This connection lowers the volatility of the asset, which can be a barrier for people who are concerned about the inherent risk of crypto.

“I’m crossing my fingers that they allow stablecoins to be digital dollars without a lot of strings attached — meaning make sure that there are securities standing behind that stablecoin, but don’t make it so that you have to be a bank to issue one,” van Eck said.

Ledecky’s relationship with technology intersects with the experience he and his team provide Islander fans at UBS Arena, working with AI and Wi-Fi network partners to enhance the hockey game experience. The Islander co-owner related his approach to van Eck’s foray into crypto, which was also based on consumer feedback.

“You’ve gotten out and talked to your customers, and they gave you the feedback about your need to be in crypto, and you executed on it, which was incredible,” Ledecky said. “And I think you’re taking market share by not charging. It is a brilliant strategy, too.”

Other major players in the crypto space attended the conference as well, including Faryar Shirzad, chief policy officer at Coinbase. Shirzad’s job focuses on keeping up with policy changes in the industry, which can occur week-to-week or even day-to-day. Shirzad reflected on the broad, sweeping policy shifts of the current administration and how that transformation is impacting Coinbase and the field at large.

“This administration is so aggressive that I think the U.S. will go back in the lead in crypto,” Shirzad predicted.

Rather than a peeling back of regulation, Shirzard foresees the government instituting regulatory frameworks, clarifying federal and state jurisdictions and making it easier for exchanges like Coinbase to operate.

What has surprised Shirzad, however, is the way government agencies are so closely following the lead of the executive branch and applying the president’s philosophies to their own enforcement and policy.

“[We] don’t typically think the United States needs the tone from the top set, but we learn that we do,” Shirzad said, reflecting on the top-down nature of the Trump administration. “That sends a message to all corners of government — every time they make a decision, they should [ask themselves] will this help the US lead?”

Later, speakers focused on the spread of blockchain technology beyond enthusiasts and experts. In his talk, Sreeram Kannan, CEO of EigenLayer, acknowledged the distinct Achilles’ heels of tools like crypto and AI, while observing how the pair of technologies is remarkably well-suited to each other.

“Crypto has an ‘apps’ problem; AI has a trust problem,” Kannan said. “Crypto is a trust platform. AI and agents are the new applications. So this match of crypto and AI, blockchains and AI is actually a really, really, really powerful combination.”

The panel on blockchain in gaming, “Elevating Gaming Experiences with Crypto,” echoed Kannan’s sentiments. The panelists, John Nahas, chief business officer of Ava Labs, Thomas Vuy, executive producer of Riot Games, and Theodore Agranat, director of Web3 at Gunzilla Games, posited that the best way to introduce blockchain technology to the public is to integrate it seamlessly into the products people love.

“The technology needs to support the product, it needs to support the mission, it needs to support the end goal that you’re trying to achieve,” Nahas said.

From blockchain to AI and gaming, VEDA is working on the cutting edge of all these technologies, as Eric Chung, managing director of the VEDA Initiative, explained in his remarks.

“USC matches the accelerating pace of blockchain innovation in its commitment to meet the demand for strong talent, rigorous academic research, and credible venues for ideas to discuss and shape the future,” Chung said. “Through the Marshall VanEck Digital Assets Initiative, our focus remains consistent on three core pillars: curriculum, research, and partnerships/community.”