Kristin Smith

Kristin Smith is the Executive Director of the Blockchain Association, the Washington DC-based trade association representing the most prominent and reputable organizations in the crypto industry. Kristin serves as a liaison between federal agencies and the cryptocurrency industry to assist in the creation of legislation that promotes the growth of the cryptocurrency ecosystem in the U.S.

Kristin Smith

Latest from Kristin Smith


Opinion

A Blueprint for Crypto Market Structure

Kristin Smith, CEO of the Blockchain Association, outlines principles to guide legislation and regulation on issues like self-custody, staking, voting, and peer-to-peer transactions on permissionless networks.

U.S. Capitol Building (Connor Gan/Unsplash)

Opinion

The Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act Is a Watershed Moment for Our Industry

For too long, the regulatory landscape for digital assets in the United States has been an untenable. FIT21 represents a notable step in the right direction, Blockchain Association CEO Kristin Smith writes.

Sheila Warren writes Sam Bankman-Fried's case is a "tale as old as fraud." (Jesse Hamilton/CoinDesk)

Opinion

Congress Gets the Runaround From Regulators, Again

"If the broker rule proceeds as is, it will surely spell the near-total collapse of the crypto industry in the United States," writes Blockchain Association CEO Kristin Smith and DeFi Education Fund CEO Miller Whitehouse-Levine.

Blockchain Association CEO Kristin Smith said crypto lobbyists helped beat back disastrous regulations on "unhosted wallets." (Shutterstock/CoinDesk)

Opinion

3 Big Drivers Determining the Future of Crypto in the U.S.

Blockchain Association CEO Kristin Smith weighs where the digital asset industry may be in the next half decade, on the organization's five-year anniversary.

(FangXiaNuo/GettyImages)

Opinion

The FIT Act Is the Most Comprehensive Crypto Regulation Ever Voted on by Congress

A bipartisan vote sends a clear message from Washington D.C. — crypto is here for good.

Capitol Hill building, Washington DC (Darren Halstead/Unsplash, modified by CoinDesk)

Opinion

The Case for Regulating, Not Banning, Crypto

Blockchain Association CEO Kristin Smith looks at the logical flaws and assuptions made in a recent Foreign Affairs article calling to ban crypto.

The Blockchain Association's Kristin Smith (Melody Wang/CoinDesk)

Opinion

How Crypto Can Repair Its Reputation in Washington

Trust in the industry is at an all-time low, but key stakeholders can still rebuild relationships with regulators and politicians by focusing on what makes crypto unique: trustlessness.

US Capitol Building Washington DC (Getty Images)

Opinion

Why a Divided Congress Is Bullish for Crypto

Bipartisan efforts to regulate crypto are moving forward, but U.S. representatives should keep crypto's core tenets of privacy, decentralization and financial freedom closely in mind.

(Elijah Mears/Unsplash, modified by CoinDesk)

Opinion

President Biden’s Crypto Order Is a Huge Step Forward for the Industry

The long-awaited order is an acknowledgement of crypto’s importance and the necessity of ensuring regulation is done correctly.

The Biden White House has acknowledged the importance of getting crypto regulation right. (Getty Images)

Policy

Crypto Is Too Big for Partisan Politics

The industry enjoys broad support among the American people, and that should be reflected by our elected officials, too.

(Khashayar Kouchpeydeh/Unsplash)

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