Politics has been the primary concern for the blockchain industry in 2023. The industry has been marred by scandals, indictments, and self-inflicted wounds. Elected officials around the USA and elsewhere have taken note and a variety of bills and regulatory actions have been discussed and proposed.
In the spirit of the times, the following is a list of some of the organizations that take up advocacy on behalf of the blockchain industry. The form of that advocacy may vary from organization to organization, but the intent is the same: advance the industry into the mainstream. The list is very likely not complete, but it is a start. Additionally, some of the data may not be accurate, in particular, the funding data for each organization may be out of date, or not include new funding.
General Notes:
- Information obtained from these sources (in order of priority): (1) Organization website, (2) corporate filings, (3) FEC filings for PACs, (4) Third party information services, (5) social media accounts.
| Blockchain Lobby Group | Location | Year Founded | For-Profit? | Major Funders |
| American Blockchain PAC | Washington, D.C. | May 17, 2021[1] | N | · Self-funded
· Looksmart Group |
| Association of Blockchain Legal Professionals | New York, NY | October 10, 2018[2] | N | · (Unknown) |
| Blockchain Advocacy Coalition LLC | Sacramento, California[3] | September 25 2018[4] | N | · (Unknown) |
| Blockchain Alliance | Singapore[5] | 2018[6] | N | · Chamber of Digital Commerce
· Coin Center |
| Blockchain Association | Washington, D.C. | July 26, 2018[7] | N | · Filecoin Foundation
· Digital Currency Group · Kraken |
| Chamber of Digital Commerce | Washington, D.C.[8] | June 24, 2014[9] | N | · List of members on website |
| Coin Center | Washington, D.C. | March 2, 2015[10] | N | · Ethereum Foundation
· ConsenSys · OB1 · ShapeShift · Abra · Bitso · Ripple |
| Crypto Council for Innovation | Washington, D.C.;
San Francisco, CA; New York, NY; Denver, CO; Brussels; London; Hong Kong |
April 2021 | N | · Paradigm
· Coinbase · Fidelity Digital Assets · Block (Square) Gemini |
| Crypto Freedom PAC | Washington, D.C. | June 9, 2022[11] | N | · Club for Growth Action
· Susquehanna International Group |
| Crypto Innovation PAC | Alexandria, VA | Feb 16, 2022[12] | N | · GMI PAC
· Blockchain Capital LLC · Skybridge Capital |
| CryptoPAC | Beverly, MA | Sept 24, 2021[13] | N | · Helping Elect the Next Generation PAC |
| DeFi Education Fund | Washington, D.C. | June 3, 2021[14] | N | · 1 Million UNI donated from UNI-governance (UNIswap protocol) |
| Global Digital Asset Cryptocurrency Association | Chicago, IL | 2020[16] | N | |
| HODL PAC | Washington, D.C. | January 2020[18] | N | · Wicklow Capital
· Serenity Investments · DeFi Education Fund · Blockchain Association · Winklevoss Capital · Polychain Capital · Coinbase Union Square Ventures |
| International Blockchain Alliance | New York, NY | October 16, 2019[19] | N | (Unknown) |
| Proof of Stake Alliance | Washington, D.C. | June 25, 2018[20] | N | · TQtezos
· Interchain Foundation (Cosmos) · Polychain Labs · Harmony; Enigma · Kava · Battlestar Capital · EON Staking · Blockfolio · Lukka · Cole-Frieman & Mallon LLP Multiplied |
| Satoshi Action Fund[21] | Oxford, Mississippi | Feb 8, 2019[22] | N | (Unknown) |
| Wall Street Blockchain Alliance | New York, NY[23] | 2015[24] | N | 9 partnerships[25] |
[1] Per FEC filings
[2] Per corporate filing
[3] Per Twitter profile; Filing address in Emeryville, CA per corporate filing
[4] Per California corporate filing
[6] At least 2018 (per Forbes article)
[7] Per DC business filing
[8] Per business filing
[9] Id.
[10] Per DC business filing
[11] Date of first donation per Open Secrets profile
[12] Date of first donation per Open Secrets profile
[13] Date of first donation per Open Secrets profile
[14] Per IRS letter tax exempt as of June 3, 2021; See also Twitter
[15] Per organization’s about page; Registered July 23, 2018 per corporate filing
[16] Illinois business search service unavailable at time of search
[17] Per members page; requirements for membership (such as contribution of funds) not available
[18] Per FEC filing, first contribution January 27, 2020
[19] Per corporate filing
[20] Per business filing
[21] Per corporate filing; previously filed in MS under other names (in order): “Energy 45 Fund,” “Energy Moms,” “Alliance for Energy Workers”
[22] Per MS corporate filing
[24] Per LinkedIn profile
[25] Per Partners and Alliances page
Disclosures:
- Partner Nelson Rosario is an Observer Member of the Global Blockchain Business Council
- Rosario Tech Law, LLC is a Member of the Global Digital Asset Cryptocurrency Association
Disclaimer
The material contained in this post is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice nor in any way may it constitute an attorney-client relationship. The views expressed are those of the author and are not to be attributed to Rosario Tech Law, LLC or any of its clients. Always seek legal counsel prior to taking any actions based upon any information contained herein.