Dr. Benjamin Lawsky

Biography

Benjamin Lawsky is a Lecturer at Columbia Law School and the Chief Executive Officer of Lawsky Group, a strategic advisory firm in the financial technology space. He previously served as the Global Head of Public Policy and Regulatory Affairs at NYDIG, a financial services firm focused on Bitcoin. From 2011 to 2015, Lawsky was the Superintendent of Financial Services for New York State, where he regulated state-chartered banks, foreign banks, insurance companies, and other financial service providers, overseeing more than 3,800 entities with assets exceeding $7 trillion. He managed an agency of over 1,400 employees and an operating budget of $250 million. Lawsky has also held various leadership roles, including co-chair of the New York State Cyber Security Advisory Board and membership on the Board of Directors of the Empire State Development Corporation. He has served on the Joint Forum, an international body comprising banking, insurance, and securities regulators from fifteen countries. Prior to his tenure as Superintendent, he held a senior position at the New York State Attorney General’s office and spent over five years as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted cases related to white collar crime, organized crime, and terrorism. He began his legal career as Chief Counsel for Senator Charles Schumer on the Senate Judiciary Committee and as a Trial Attorney in the Civil Division of the Department of Justice. Lawsky graduated from Columbia Law School in 1995 and clerked for the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Research Interests