Thomas P. Vartanian
A Futurist and Expert in Financial Technology
Bio
Thomas P. Vartanian is an author, financial advisor, and board mentor. He is the former Executive Director of the Program on Financial Regulation & Technology at George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School, where he was also a Professor of Law. Between 1983 and 2018, he chaired the Financial Institution's practices at two international law firms, Dechert LLP and Fried Frank LLP, through four financial crises. Both as a regulator and private practitioner, he has been involved in 30 of the 50 largest financial institution failures in American history.
Mr. Vartanian served in the Reagan Administration during the S&L crisis as General Counsel of the Federal Home Loan Bank Board and the FSLIC. Prior to that, he served in the Carter Administration in the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency as Special Assistant to the Chief Counsel. Since departing government service, Mr. Vartanian has informally advised Presidential Administrations on financial services issues and been approached by the Reagan, Bush, Obama, and Trump Administrations to run federal financial regulatory agencies.
Mr. Vartanian was Chairman of the American Bar Association's Cyberspace Law Committee between 1998 and 2002, where he chaired an international task force of lawyers from twenty countries which released a seminal report in London in 2000 on the novel issues created by doing business in Cyberspace.
Mr. Vartanian is a futurist and expert in financial technology, which has been described by clients in Chambers as "one of the best financial services lawyers in America." He is currently a member of the American Association of Bank Directors' Task Force on Bank Director Personal Liability Mitigation.
Mr. Vartanian has authored more than four hundred articles and eight books, including his new book, 200 Years of American Financial Panics: Crashes, Recessions, Depressions, and the Technology That Will Change It All, chronicling the country's tumultuous financial history and the impact that technology will have in the future.
He is a frequent lecturer and media commentator on the financial services industry, having appeared on, among others, Bloomberg TV, CNN, Fox, and many radio shows. He has also taught financial services, and digital commerce law at Georgetown Law School, George Washington Law School, and Boston University School of Law, and has been a guest lecturer at Harvard Law School.
In 2008, Mr. Vartanian was named "Washingtonian of the Year" based on his use of music and sports to raise money for charities in the D.C. metropolitan area. As a musician, he appeared in the first production in the United States in 1970 of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. His classic rock band, The Johnny Esquire Band, has helped raise approximately $5,000,000 for charities in the Washington D.C. area over the last twenty years. Mr. Vartanian also founded and plays for the Washington All Stars, a senior baseball team that has raised $500,000 for Special Olympics.
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Publications
Thomas P. Vartanian Recent Publications
Recent Books
For a current list of Mr. Vartanian's most recent Publications and Appearances, visit --
https://thomasvartanian.com/additional-publications/
Books
Recent Op-Eds & Articles
The internet’s worst ‘zero day’ could drain all of our bank accounts
How elections can create financial crises
Why aren’t we treating cybersecurity as an election issue?
AI is here, but who is in charge?
5 ways to improve the stability of the financial system
June 30, 2024, Washington Examiner
The social media wars are here, just ask parents
Don’t blame the home loan bank’s for the Fed’s lending problems
Ransomware attacks are the canaries in the cyber coal mine
Sam Bankman-Fried's penalty has been handed down, but when will we finally crack down on crypto?
The biggest threat from China is right here under our noses - and on our screens
Why does one unelected bureaucrat get to decide credit card fees?
We cannot escape the tyranny of technology
Bitcoin bingo and the erosion of financial stability
Why is the SEC allowing crypto to run wild?
How Many More Times Will We Be Conned By Crypto?
When are regulators going to hold crypto accountable?
November 13, 2023, The Messenger
Citibank Treated Armenian Americans as ‘Bad Guys’ Until the CFPB Stepped In
AI is going to change the world — but who will be leading that change?
August 29, 2023, The Messenger
Election Economics: Find Me A Dead Cat
Time to Reassess the Fed and its Takeover of the U.S. Economy
The Too-Comfortable Danger of ‘Bidenomics’
A rebellion at the Federal Reserve — can it avoid the next bank collapse?
Congress Isn’t Protecting Children From the Internet, So States Are Doing the Job
Our failing banks and the capital con game
Lending laws are changing — and borrowers could pay the price
The Fed wants more power after the banking collapse. We need real reform — and less Fed
No, Federal Home Loan Banks didn't cause the SVB Collapse
April 26, 2023, Harvard Business Review
There's No Silver Bullet for Cybersecurity
This banking crisis was preventable - and so is the next one
This banking crisis was preventable - and so is the next one
Artificial intelligence must be regulated. But by whom?
It took 40 years, but we got a new S&L crisis
We should be tanking Sam Bankman-Fried
Who Will Fix a Broken Internet Landscape Before It Is Too Late?
February 10, 2023, The Wall Street Journal
Biden Plays the Junk Card
February 1, 2023, Cyber Defense Magazine
Time to Build an Unhackable Internet
Death of the Crypto Formula
December 13, 2022, Financial Times
FTX’s predictable failings show the need for crypto regulation
Rough economic waters ahead: Will we choose wisely?
September 24, 2022, Kiplinger.com
Cryptocurrency: Stay In? Get Out? How to Decide?
Biden’s college loan forgiveness misses the point
Biden’s student loan bailout and the death of skin in the game
What’s our plan to stop China’s acquisition of America?
Blinded by the light: 7 red flags about cryptocurrencies we completely missed
This crypto winter is warm compared to the next one
June 30, 2022, Business Observer
Time to get smart about financial technology – and how to regulate the $10T industry
Ten economic warning signs policymakers ignored
Is crypto too cool to question?
April 6, 2022, American Banker (BankThink)
What the president’s crypto order should have said
Strong Banks Are Essential To National Security
February 28, 2022, American Banker (BankThink)
Where have you gone, Chairman Volcker?
What if politicians had to tell the truth?
Crypto and the insecure Internet
To avoid virtual anarchy, we must move cautiously and fix things.
October 20, 2021, American Banker (BankThink)
Modernize regulation of risk on '80s-style economic crisis.
July 14, 2021, American Banker (BankThink)
July 7, 2021, The Hill
June 15, 2021
Machines to the Rescue (an excerpt from 200 Years of American Financial Panics)
ABA Business Law Today
June 9, 2021, The Hill
May 18, 2021, The Hill
April 21, 2021, American Banker
March 8, 2021, The Hill
Will the real financial bubble please stand up?
A more complete list of publications and appearances can be found at www.thomasvartanian.com
Appearances
Thomas P. Vartanian Recent Appearances
For a current list of Mr. Vartanian's most recent appearances, visit --
https://thomasvartanian.com/additional-publications/
| DATE | SPONSOR | WATCH/LISTEN |
|---|---|---|
| December 1, 2021 | Speech: SEC Presentation | 200 Years of American Financial Panics: Crashes,Recessions, Depressions and The Technology That Will Change It Al |
| November 22, 2021 | Podcast Interview: American Association of Bank Directors | 200 Years of American Financial Panics:
Crashes, Recessions, Depressions and The Technology
That Will Change It All
Calling All Bank Directors Episode 41: Financial Crises: Why, When, How (Part 1) - AABD (wpengine.com) |
| November 17, 2021 | Podcast Interview: John Byrne’s “AMLRightsource | 200 Years of American Financial Panics:
Crashes, Recession, Depressions and The Technology
That Will Change It All
https://www.amlrightsource.com/ news/a-deep-dive-with-tom-vartanian-part-01 https://www.amlrightsource.com /news/a-deep-dive-with-tom-vartanian-part-02 |
| November 12, 2021 | Radio Interview: Chicago's Morning Answer AM 560 WIND | Inflation, the Economy & the Metaverse https://youtu.be/TjMKL8wVyqA |
| November 12, 2021 | Podcast Interview: Howard Alterescue’s “Tell Me What You Are Reading” | 200 Years of American Financial Panics:
Crashes, Recessions, Depressions And The
Technology That Will Change It All https://www.linkedin.com/ feed/update/urn:li:activity:6865137233997959168/ https://anchor.fm/howard/episodes/ Ep--35-Tom-Vartanian---200-Years-of-American-Financial -Panics---Crashes--Recessions--Depressions--and-the- Technology-That-Will-Change-It-All-e1936bs |
| October 20, 2021 | Speech: Federal Reserve Board | 200 Years of American Financial Panics: Crashes, Recessions, Depressions And The Technology That Will Change It All |
| Aug 4, 202 | WHF Panel: Amy Friend and Bill Isaac | 200 Years of American Financial Panics: Crashes, Recessions, Depressions And The Technology That Will Change It All |
| July 17, 2021 | Speech: Smoketree Innovation Roundtable: After COVID: The Law of Accelerating Returns | Tech Tools: AI for Good and Bad |
| July 14, 2021 | TV Interview: Wall Street Wrap Up (PBS/New Orleans - WYES-TV | 200 Years of American Financial Panics:
Crashes, Recessions, Depressions And The
Technology That Will Change It All https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1bzQy6tgKs |
| June 30, 2021 | Podcast Interview: Ballard Spahr Consumer Finance Monitor | A Discussion With Special Guest Thomas
Vartanian, Author of the Recently-Published Book,
“200 Years of American Financial Panics:
Crashes, Recessions, Depressions, And the
Technology That Will Change It All”
Part !: https://www.ballardspahr.com/ Insights/Blogs/2021/07/ Pod-Tom-Vartanian-Discussion-Part-1 https://www.ballardspahr.com/ Insights/Blogs/2021/07/ Pod-Part-II-Tom-Vartanian-Author-200 -Years-of-American-Financial-Panics |
| June 23, 2021 | Interview: China TechThreat | High Tech Heist: Vlog Series
on Banking Cybersecurity - China Tech Threat ChinaTechThreat on Twitter: "@ChinaTechThreat is pleased to introduce High Tech Heist, a new Vlog Series on Banking #Cybersecurity. @RoslynLayton and Tom Vartanian kick it off. “Financial institutions are the number one target of hackers around the planet.” Watch here: https://t.co/Y2LSYsp9hA" / Twitter |
| June 14, 2021 | Panel Discussion: Financial Managers Society: Annual Forum Presentation Washington DC Capital Hilton | https://www.fmsinc.org/FMS/Forum/Forum21/home.aspx |
| June 22, 2021 | Bank Board Meeting | 200 Years of American Financial Panics: Crashes, Recessions, Depressions And The Technology That Will Change It All |
| June 17, 2021 | Webinar: The Telecom Policy Research Conference (TPRC) Program | Countering Cyberattacks And Ransomware Will Require “Whole Of Nation” Response (forbes.com) |
| June 10, 2021 | Webinar: FHLBank of NY Members’ Webinar Series | Crisis, Regulation & Technology:
The Complicated Past, Present &
Future of Financial Services https://www.fhlbny.com/financial_intelligen/crisis-regulation-tech/ |
| May 31, 2021 | Podcast Interview: The Chris Voss Show | 200 Years of American Financial Panics:
Crashes, Recessions, Depressions And The
Technology That Will Change It All https://thechrisvossshow.com/the-chris-voss-show-podcast- 200-years-of-american-financial-panics-crashes-recessions-depressions-and-the- technology-that-will-change-it-all-by-thomas-p-vartanian/ |
| May 31, 2021 | Podcast Interview: US National Privacy Legislation Association of Digital & Cyber Governance | The Internet is Broken –
We Need A New One! https://open.spotify.com/show /3LOA68FCRWbFZlpvnQFqFs?si=usRwk_N0S0yH8RuNsDD6-Q&nd=1 |
| May 28, 2021 | Bank Board Meeting: “Crisis, Regulation & Technology: The Complicated Past, Present & Future of Financial Services” | 200 Years of American Financial Panics: Crashes, Recessions, Depressions and The Technology That Will Change It All |
| May 25, 2021 | Podcast Interview: Duke FinReg Podcast | 200 Years of American Financial Panics:
Crashes, Recessions, Depressions and The
Technology That Will Change It All https://spoti.fi/3fRDZ3x |
| May 21, 2021 | Podcast Interview: The Curious Man | 200 Years of American Financial Panics:
Crashes, Recessions, Depressions and The
Technology That Will Change It All https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast /thecuriousmanspodcast/id1369458829?i=1000522935791 |
| May 18, 2021 | Radio: Chicago's Morning Answer AM 560 WIND | 200 Years of American Financial Panics:
Crashes, Recessions, Depressions and The
Technology That Will Change It All https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QukVR-FV2cE |
| May 17, 2021 | Press Interview: ThinkAdvisor www.ThinkAdvisor.com | https://www.thinkadvisor.com/ 2021/06/02/longtime-bank-lawyer-predicts -where-next-financial-crisis-will-come-from/ |
| May 11, 2021 | TV Interview: “Wake Up America” Newsmax Interview | https://www.dropbox.com/ s/67lgfuz5x1mv8iv/VARTANIAN%20WUA% 20051121.mp4?dl=0 |
| May 10, 2021 | Radio Interview: The Jim Bohannon Show | https://omny.fm/shows/jim-bohannon/jim-bohannon-05-10-21 |
| February 11, 2021 | CCFL and Scalia Law School- FinTech and Consumer Finance: Agenda for 2021 |