Crypto-assets: evolution and policy response

Crypto-assets have shown a remarkable evolution over the past two years that highlights their relevance for society as a whole. There have been large inflows and outflows in these markets. There have been polarised debates between crypto believers and sceptics. There have been warnings by authorities that investors could lose their money. In spite of those warnings, crypto-assets continued to exert a strong attraction to a substantial proportion of the population; approximately 14% of the Dutch population holds them. This raises questions: what makes crypto-assets so attractive? What opportunities and risks do they pose for society? And how can policymakers ensure that societal risks will be mitigated while leaving room for innovation?