Dax Hansen

Dax Hansen is a lawyer specializing in financial services, payments, technology transactions, privacy, and emerging financial technologies. He is a Partner and Global Sector Leader for Financial Services at Ashurst Perkins Coie, where he has advised companies on electronic payments, mobile financial services, virtual currencies, and related regulatory and commercial matters. ^[1]

Education

Hansen graduated with a BA from Arizona State University in 1996. He later earned his Doctor of Law in Business and Commerce from Brigham Young University in 1999. ^[2]

Career

Hansen has been with Ashurst Perkins Coie since 1999, developing a practice focused heavily on electronic financial services and emerging payment technologies. His work has included negotiating mobile commerce and banking agreements, supporting mobile proximity payment trials, advising on prepaid and loyalty programs, and providing regulatory guidance on money transmission, anti-money-laundering requirements, consumer credit, privacy, and electronic payments. He has also advised companies involved in virtual currency and represented Andreessen Horowitz in its $25 million Series B investment in Coinbase. Alongside his financial-services practice, Hansen has worked on international business transactions involving Japanese companies, technology licensing, IT arrangements, outsourcing, data security, privacy, and software and digital-content distribution. ^{[1] [2]}

Interviews

Regulation Fireside

At StakePoint NYC in June 2025, Hansen participated in a fireside chat with Alison Mangiero of PoSA and Hadley Stern of Marinade Finance on the regulatory environment surrounding crypto and staking. The discussion covered recent developments in U.S. regulation, including greater clarity from federal agencies, legislative efforts, reduced reliance on litigation, and increasing institutional acceptance, while noting that regulatory requirements remain complex across federal and state jurisdictions. Hansen discussed delays surrounding the approval of staking-related exchange-traded products, attributing them to regulatory backlogs, safety considerations, and tax questions, and emphasized continued engagement with regulators and Congress as the technology develops. The speakers also addressed misconceptions about staking, distinguishing its role in network security from passive income, and examined differences between staking models and blockchain architectures, which require ongoing legal and regulatory interpretation. Looking ahead, the panel expressed cautious optimism about greater legislative clarity and the United States' continued role as a significant center for blockchain innovation, while noting that political developments and institutional decisions could materially shape the regulatory environment. ^[3]

Panels

Bitcoin Regulation

At Strategy World in February 2026, Hansen participated in a panel alongside Thomas Chow of Strategy, Connor Brown of the Bitcoin Policy Institute, and Brittany Ruiz of Latham & Watkins LLP discussing developments in digital assets, capital markets, and regulation. The panel examined innovation in capital markets, including the development of new financial products and the tokenization of traditional assets, while considering regulatory issues, including anti-money-laundering requirements and asset transferability. Speakers also discussed growing participation from traditional financial institutions, including banks providing custody and collateral services, alongside increasing regulatory openness and expectations for greater clarity and coordination between the SEC and CFTC. The conversation covered the use of Bitcoin as a corporate treasury asset and the industry's efforts to engage policymakers on issues such as capital requirements and Basel risk-weighting standards. The panel concluded by addressing ongoing regulatory and market-structure challenges, including proposed Bitcoin-related exclusions and high capital requirements, while expressing the view that market-structure legislation could advance in 2026 and emphasizing the need for continued industry advocacy. ^[4]