Lobbying
How the crypto industry lobbies for its preferred policy outcomes — PAC donations, revolving door, coalition strategies, and the $202M Fairshake operation.
The Fairshake PAC raised $202.9 million in the 2024 election cycle — the largest crypto super PAC in history — and achieved a 91% win rate across targeted congressional races. That investment bought a Congress more sympathetic to digital asset legislation than any in history, and produced the GENIUS Act within six months of the new session. Lobbying coverage here goes beyond PAC disclosures to track the revolving door between regulators and industry, the coalition dynamics between crypto-native firms and traditional financial institutions, and the counter-lobbying campaigns from incumbent banks and consumer advocates that shape every legislative outcome.
A16z and the Crypto Policy Hub: Venture Capital's Capture of Digital Asset Regulation
Andreessen Horowitz's crypto fund and Washington DC policy hub have placed executives at the White House, CFTC, and OPM under the Trump administration — raising unprecedented questions about venture capital's influence on the regulation of its own portfolio companies.
Banks and Digital Assets: From Opposition to Cautious Participation
Major US and European banks have shifted from opposing crypto regulation to actively shaping it — building tokenization businesses while simultaneously lobbying for regulatory frameworks that advantage licensed institutions over crypto-native firms.
Coinbase's Policy Strategy: From 'Crypto Doesn't Need Washington' to Running It
Coinbase's transformation from a politically disengaged tech company to the founder of Stand With Crypto, the largest contributor to Fairshake PAC, and the company with personnel in senior regulatory positions — a case study in industry political evolution.
Crypto Industry Coalitions: Who Is Allied With Whom in the Washington Policy Wars
The crypto industry is not monolithic. Exchanges, DeFi protocols, stablecoin issuers, mining companies, venture funds, and TradFi digital asset divisions have different regulatory interests — producing complex alliance structures in Washington.
Crypto Lobbying in the United States: The $100M Industry That Changed American Politics
How the crypto industry transformed itself from a regulatory afterthought into one of Washington's most powerful lobbying forces — through PAC donations, revolving door hires, coalition building, and the strategic deployment of $200M+ in political capital.
Crypto PAC Donations 2024: The Most Expensive Industry Election in US History
The $202.9M Fairshake PAC, Stand With Crypto, and individual crypto executive donations made the 2024 US election the most expensive single-industry political campaign in American history. Here is where the money went and what it bought.
Regulatory Capture in Crypto: The Systematic Analysis
Regulatory capture — where regulated industries gain control of their regulators — is the central political economy problem in crypto regulation. The evidence from the US, EU, and UK reveals multiple forms of capture, each with different consequences.
Ripple's Lobbying: How an SEC Lawsuit Built Washington's Most Effective Crypto Legal Strategy
Ripple's SEC lawsuit — filed December 2020, partially resolved 2024 — became the most consequential legal battle in US crypto history, teaching the industry that DC engagement and litigation can together reshape regulatory reality.
The Revolving Door in Crypto Regulation: A Systematic Map
The movement of individuals between crypto industry and government regulatory positions — in both directions — is the most structurally significant feature of US crypto regulatory politics in 2024-2026.
TradFi Lobbies Against Crypto: The Banking Industry's Regulatory Battle for Survival
Traditional financial institutions — through the American Bankers Association, Business Roundtable, and direct lobbying — have fought crypto regulatory frameworks that would allow non-banks to compete in payments, deposits, and financial services.