Carol House, former White House NSC director for cybersecurity and digital assets, discusses her career spanning national security, FinCEN, and crypto policy. She explains how blockchain's public ledger benefits law enforcement, why regulation protects rather than crushes innovation, and why the U.S. remains critical for responsible crypto development.
In this interview with Danelle Frisbie of Stellar, Carol House shares her journey from military service through FinCEN to the White House National Security Council, where she drove policy on ransomware, digital assets, and CBDCs. She explains the maturity model policymakers follow when evaluating crypto: initial dismissal, recognition of illicit use, then understanding of investigative benefits from public ledgers. House emphasizes that regulation creates market confidence and consumer protection, not innovation suppression. She addresses industry criticism of enforcement actions, noting many investigations predate recent policy and that earlier enforcement shapes sectors better than delayed action. She argues the U.S. remains essential for crypto development because of its consumer base, innovation ecosystem, and safety/soundness protections that build trust. House now works at Terranet Ventures on compliance and due diligence while serving as chair of the CFTC Technology Advisory Committee.