Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson Lauds Passage of the North Carolina Regulatory Sandbox Act of 2021, Makes Appointment to Innovation Council | Eastern North Carolina Now

Press Release:

    Raleigh, North Carolina

    Today, Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina Mark Robinson released the following statement:

    "I applaud the General Assembly for taking decisive action in passing the bipartisan North Carolina Regulatory Sandbox Act of 2021. The establishment of a regulatory sandbox and multi-agency Innovation Council were two principal recommendations in the report developed by the North Carolina Blockchain Initiative (NCBI). Together, we are positioning North Carolina as a continued leader in technological innovation and ensuring that the state has a wellspring of opportunities for economic growth."

    As part of the newly enacted legislation (SL 2021-166), which establishes the North Carolina Innovation Council, the Office of the Lieutenant Governor was tasked with making an appointment to the Innovation Council. Robinson appointed Agnes Gambill West, who serves as Co-Chair of the North Carolina Blockchain Initiative and is a professor at Appalachian State University.

    "Agnes, along with fellow NCBI Co-Chairs Dan Spuller and Eric Porper, was instrumental in crafting the sandbox design and shepherding the sandbox legislation to completion, and it is essential that the blockchain and cryptocurrency communities have a seat on the Innovation Council," said Robinson. "I am proud to appoint Agnes to this seat. With her unique combination of expertise in blockchain and background in entrepreneurship and law, she will be an asset to the Innovation Council."

    "I am honored to serve on the Innovation Council and look forward to working closely with the rest of the Council to promote economic growth in North Carolina," said Gambill West. "By reducing the complexity of the regulatory landscape and lowering barriers to entry for blockchain entrepreneurs, our state will continue to be at the forefront of financial innovation."

    Throughout 2021 the NCBI worked with the Office of Representative Jason Saine, the Carolina Fintech Hub, the John Locke Foundation, and the Mercatus Center to inform the North Carolina General Assembly about the benefits of adopting a regulatory sandbox program and creating a multi-agency Innovation Council. The bill passed 490 in the Senate on October 6, 2021 and 111-0 in the House on October 7, 2021.

    About the North Carolina Blockchain Initiative

    Established as a nonpartisan task force in July 2019 under Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest, and has been continued by Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson. The North Carolina Blockchain Initiative (NCBI) was designed to study the unique attributes and use cases of blockchain technology, Web3, virtual assets, smart contracts, and digital tokens. Over the course of 24 months, the NCBI developed a series of recommendations designed to strengthen North Carolina as a leader in technological innovation and promote opportunities for economic growth.

    North Carolina Blockchain Initiative Co-Chairs:

• Agnes B. Gambill, Appalachian State University
• Daniel Spuller, Blockchain Association
• Eric Porper, EmblemVault
• Faruk Okcetin, Zeto, Inc.

    Additional information:

• https://ncblockchain.tech/
• https://twitter.com/NC_Blockchain

   Contact: John Wesley Waugh
   Director of Communications to the Lieutenant Governor
   Office of North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Mark K. Robinson
   Email: john.waugh@nc.gov
   Phone: O: 919-814-3690 M : 919-971-0846