NYC Launches Digital Assets Office to Boost Innovation

New York City has launched its first municipal Digital Assets Office to drive blockchain technology and cryptocurrency regulation. Established by Mayor Eric Adams via Executive Order 57, the Digital Assets Office reports to Chief Technology Officer Matthew Fraser and is led by Executive Director Moises Rendon. The office will shape city policy on digital assets, coordinate interagency efforts, run public education campaigns to combat scams, explore blockchain applications in municipal services, and partner with the NYC Economic Development Corporation to attract crypto businesses and jobs. This initiative builds on New York’s strict licensing, transparency and consumer-protection framework, including recent BitLicense reforms. It follows Mayor Adams’s track record—receiving paychecks in BTC and ETH and convening a Digital Assets Advisory Council—and aims to streamline engagement with state and federal regulators. By educating underbanked communities on fraud risks and fostering regulatory clarity, the Digital Assets Office seeks to establish New York as a global hub for blockchain innovation and economic development.