New Jersey Digital Assets Working Group

In October 2022, the official New Jersey Digital Assets Working Group was formed. In three weeks, we had over 50 members from leading financial institutions, digital assets companies, universities, law firms and law schools, including world-renowned scholars and experts. We believe the brightest minds should be working on digital assets policy.

Our mission is to educate legislators and regulators, and to help formulate a unifying legal framework for digital assets that supports enhanced financial stability and avoids overly restrictive limits to innovation nationwide. Our goal is to promote evidence-based policy, and an environment that nurtures innovation, investment and jobs while protecting the public.  

We organize educational meetings and events with lawmakers.

We work on real-world use cases and action plans in partnerships between public and private industry and educational institutions. We maintain that this is one of the most effective ways to communicate the transformative potential of blockchain technology. 

We organize educational forums and support academic research. We will prepare a guidance document on digital assets and law to be adopted in 2023.  

The working group has gained momentum and is growing organically. We will have big announcements soon re institutional partnerships and new plans for growth.  

Our Chair, Nina Kaplan, is a globally recognized business leader, pioneer and entrepreneur at the forefront of emerging DeFi technology, its applications for financial markets, and its regulatory landscape. Her successes have landed her on the covers of major publications, including NEWSWEEK. 

Nina Kaplan spearheaded blockchain legislation in New Jersey, and has worked with the Science, Innovation and Technology Committee since 2017. She helped organize the first hearing that took place at Princeton University in 2018, and she testified. That first hearing led to passage of blockchain legislation, including Bill #A-3768 permitting corporations to use blockchain technology for certain recordkeeping requirements. 

In 2022 and 2023 she has worked on A2371/S1756

“Digital Assets and Blockchain Technology Act”, educating lawmakers, and proposing edits and amendments.   

On Thursday January 9th, 2023 there was a vote of the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee on this bill. It was expected to pass with unanimous support. Instead, thanks to the working group's advocacy efforts, the bill is currently on pause while alternatives are being considered before the next vote in February. 

New Jersey wants to be a leader in technology. This bill aims to protect consumers and increase jobs and investment. 

We believe this bill can set the gold standard for other states to follow, stimulating job growth and the NJ economy through responsible innovation that the bill's improvements would facilitate. 

Nina also serves on the International Swaps & Derivatives Association's  (ISDA's) Digital Assets Legal Group, Digital Assets Risk & Capital Working Group, and Fintech Legal Group. 

 Nina has an extensive business background, having scaled one of the world’s largest physical and commodity trading companies for secondary copper. She served on the company's Executive Board of Directors, and opened and supervised trading offices around the world. 

Nina's first business, Summit Metals pioneered PC recycling in the State of New Jersey at the municipal level. She helped divert obsolete monitors and CPU's from landfills.  

Summit Metals also created the world’s first and largest trading business for recyclable circuit board scrap. Nina was among the first in her industry to expand into China and throughout Southeast Asia. 

 Nina taught business and business English at the University of Pisa's Economics and Business Department in Italy for four years.

Nina speaks six languages.