Yaya Fanusie

Yaya J. Fanusie is a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) and an expert at FDD’s Center on Economic and Financial Power. His research focuses on the national security implications of cryptocurrencies, blockchain, and other technological innovations. Yaya spent seven years as both an economic and counterterrorism analyst in the CIA, where he regularly briefed federal law enforcement, U.S. military personnel, and White House-level policy makers—including President George W. Bush whom he personally briefed on terrorism threats in 2008. Yaya received an MA in International Affairs from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs and a BA in Economics from The University of California, Berkeley.