Copper’s Barber: Traditional Financial Players Want to See Regulation in Crypto

Traditional financial players are very accustomed to following strict regulatory guidelines and digital assets pose a challenge, according to Copper’s Barber.

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Glenn Barber, Copper.co, (center) at DAS NYC 2021; Photo by Mike Lawrence

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key takeaways

  • Glenn Barber recently joined Copper from the traditional financial space
  • Traditional players that are looking to get involved in crypto will probably feel more comfortable with more defined regulations, he said

Glenn Barber, head of sales in the Americas at Copper, sat down with Blockworks during the New York Digital Assets Summit to discuss the state of the cryptocurrency industry and how companies are staying ahead. 

“I’ve found that things move really quickly,” Barber said, speaking about changes in the space. 

“Firms that want to be successful in crypto really do have to say ‘okay, what does the market cycle look like, how are we going to deliver that,’ and that is a big responsibility.” 

Barber started his role in August 2021 after a career in traditional finance. Cryptocurrencies can be intimidating for investors and institutions that are accustomed to strict regulations and protocols. 

“One of the evolving themes of traditional financial players getting into the space is the question of how to maintain fiduciary responsibility,” he said. “I think people from this space not take for granted, but are just so used to the embedded layers of investor protection that the various regulatory regimes over decades have put into place.” 

Newcomers into space are concerned about security and serving clients the best they can and regulatory measures will hopefully help traditional financial players feel more comfortable entering the digital asset space, Barber said. 

Watch the full interview below and all of the panel videos from DAS here


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