Mark Grabowski has received a Fulbright award to research Bitcoin in Asia.
 
Grabowski, an associate professor at Adelphi University in New York, will conduct research at Ateneo de Manila University’s blockchain lab during the Spring 2021 semester. The prestigious Fulbright Program provides U.S. government funding for students, professors and professionals to study, teach and research in 125 nations around the world.
 
Grabowski specializes in cyber law and is author of Cryptocurrencies: A Primer on Digital Money, published by Routledge in 2019. In Philippines, he will conduct research on the impact of cryptocurrency regulations and what the United States — as well as other nations looking to implement cryptocurrency into their economy — can learn from them. The Southeast Asian nation has become a cryptocurrency mecca due to banking services being scarce but Bitcoins readily available in convenience stories.
 
“As U.S. lawmakers begin to develop their own comprehensive regulatory framework for cryptocurrency, they could learn from the Philippines, a nation that has a similar government structure, shares historical and cultural links, and has been a pioneer in cryptocurrency regulation,” explained Grabowski, who teaches a course on Bitcoin & Blockchain. “Having a shared vision for cryptocurrency regulation could encourage more U.S. investment in Philippines and also help strengthen diplomatic ties between the two English-speaking democracies."