Brooke Ybarra

Brooke Ybarra

SVP, Innovation & Strategy

American Bankers Association

Brooke Ybarra is the Senior Vice President, Innovation & Strategy for the American Bankers
Association, where she leads the Office of Innovation. In this role, Brooke supports banks to
define innovation strategies and helps shape the technology marketplace by identifying
promising startups that complement the banking industry. She also works with policymakers to
advocate for policies that allow for and promote responsible innovation in banking. Brooke
received her MBA from the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University and
completed her undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from Stanford University.

Featured Sessions

Friday, March 20, 2026
1:40 pm
Policy and Regulation: State of Play for Digital Assets and On-Chain Finance

Regulation is no longer a backdrop to digital asset strategy—it defines the playing field. For TradFi leaders, understanding the current regulatory state of play in the United States is fundamental to charting strategy around stablecoins, tokenization, custody, decentralized finance (DeFi), and on-chain settlement. This panel will cut through noise to provide clarity on where U.S. policy has moved, where it is heading, and what that means for institutional strategy, risk management, and competitive positioning.

Panelists will explore the most consequential U.S. regulatory developments of 2025—from landmark stablecoin legislation to evolving jurisdictional debates between the SEC and CFTC and the approval of some crypto companies into federally chartered national banks—what’s likely for 2026, and how TradFi can engage proactively with policy, shape outcomes, and manage risks while embracing the opportunities presented by on-chain finance. The session will emphasize the practical implications, including:

  • Regulation is shaping who can issue, hold, clear, and settle digital assets, and how TradFi participates.
  • Clearer rules enable or constrain strategic choices around custody, tokenization, and payments.
  • What stablecoin regulation means for bank vs. non-bank issuance strategy.
  • How reserve, audit, AML, and consumer protection requirements will change market entry calculus.
  • How TradFi should view SEC vs. CFTC oversight for different asset types.
  • The potential for coordinated frameworks in 2026 as regulators align jurisdictions.
  • How organizations can prepare for overlapping or shifting regulatory regimes across SEC, CFTC, banking regulators, and Congress.
  • Policy impacts on innovation and market structure.
  • Compliance risk expectations in an on-chain era.
  • What regulatory development will most reshape digital-asset strategy in the next year for TradFi leaders.