Stablecoins 101: Understanding the Digital Dollar 2026

Joseph E. Silvia knows banks. Mr. Silvia represents financial institutions in a variety of corporate and regulatory matters, including mergers, acquisitions, strategic transactions, structured finance, corporate governance, payments, anti-money laundering and OFAC/sanctions compliance, and private equity and venture capital investments – in short, everything but litigation. Mr. Silvia’s clients include international, national, regional, community, retail and commercial banks, fintech companies, credit unions and corporations. Mr. Silvia is a member of the Duane Morris Digital Assets and Blockchain Group, a multidisciplinary group of Duane Morris partners providing a full suite of services to clients in the cryptocurrency, digital asset, and blockchain industries, both domestically and internationally. Mr. Silvia also hosts the Duane Morris Money and Banking Law Podcast, where he educates clients and friends on critical developments in the law and regulation of money and banking, as well as some fundamental concepts and structure of the banking ecosystem itself. Mr. Silvia previously served as counsel to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, where he focused on the supervision and regulation of banks, bank holding companies, and savings and loan holding companies, as well as consumer finance and compliance matters. He is Chair of the American Bar Association’s Banking Law Committee, a faculty member of the bi-annual seminar, Fundamentals of Banking Law and an adjunct professor of law at the IIT Chicago-Kent College of Law (Banking Law) and the Boston University School of Law (Fintech Regulation). Mr. Silvia is a graduate of the George Washington University Law School (LL.M., 2010), Chicago-Kent College of Law (LL.M., J.D., 2007) and Miami University (B.A., 2004).

Carolina Goncalves is a Senior Associate with Duane Morris LLP and practices in the areas of commercial and international dispute resolution. She has represented U.S. and international clients in a variety of industries, including banking and real estate, in complex commercial, white-collar, and regulatory matters. She is a native Spanish speaker and proficient in Portuguese. Carolina regularly counsels clients across the globe and collaborates with local counsel to effectively meet her clients’ needs. Carolina is part of the firm’s Fintech practice and a leader in the firm’s Digital Assets and Blockchain Group. She is also on the advisory board for the Southeastern Women in Financial Services (SWIFS) organization. Carolina obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame in 2013. She is a 2016 graduate, with honors, of Emory University School of Law, where she was executive managing editor of the Emory International Law Review.

Matthew A. Catania is a Senior Associate with Duane Morris LLP. He practices in the area of litigation with a focus on complex commercial and criminal matters filed in federal and state courts. Mr. Catania is a leader in the firm’s Digital Assets & Blockchain practice, a subsector of the FinTech Practice Group, dealing in all matters involving cryptocurrency, digital asset compliance, and investigations. Mr. Catania maintains a corporate practice, as well. He has served as counsel to special litigation committees and companies facing internal investigations. Mr. Catania advises clients in the venture capital/emerging companies space, including private equity, securities, M&A, and general corporate and business compliance. Before joining Duane Morris, Mr. Catania served two terms as a judicial law clerk in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Mr. Catania served the Honorable R. Barclay Surrick for the 2020-2021 term and the Honorable Chad F. Kenney for the 2019-2020 term. Mr. Catania has strong roots in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, where he served as an Assistant District Attorney. In that position, he litigated all stages of criminal prosecutions, including through trial. Later, he was elevated to the Special Victims Unit (“SVU”). Mr. Catania kept a civil law practice in Media, Pennsylvania, which focused on land development, real estate transactions, and general litigation. From 2016-2019, he served as solicitor to Marple Township’s Zoning Hearing Board. Mr. Catania was a duly elected member of the Marple-Newtown School Board. He is a current member of Newtown-Edgmont Little League’s Board of Directors for the Challenger Division. Mr. Catania is licensed to practice in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. He is a 2014 graduate of Ave Maria School of Law (Naples, FL). In law school, Mr. Catania headed the Moot Court Board as its president. He was recognized at graduation with the coveted St. Catherine of Alexandria award for oral advocacy excellence. Mr. Catania is a 2009 graduate of Dickinson College (Carlisle, PA), where he served as captain of the varsity baseball team.