Crypto Events Focus on Regulations as U.S. Election Nears, Industry Faces 2025 Implications

As the U.S. presidential election approaches, crypto industry events are increasingly focused on regulation and politics. Panels at the Permissionless III and Ripple Swell conferences examined the potential impact of the 2024 election on digital assets, with experts discussing future industry challenges and opportunities.

Crypto Industry Becomes Key Election Issue as U.S. Candidates Debate Regulation and Future Policies

Some crypto events are preoccupied with politics and regulation. Less than a month remains until the American populace determines which candidates will represent them in the House of Representatives, Senate, and Presidency.

Cointelegraph observed that numerous panels at the Permissionless III conference in Salt Lake City, Utah, and Ripple Swell in Miami, Florida, in October featured perspectives from senior executives regarding their predictions for the November presidential election between Democrat Kamala Harris and Republican Donald Trump and the potential implications for the industry in 2025.

Many participants suggested that digital assets had become a more prominent issue in US politics in 2024, regardless of whether the discussion topics initially focused on regulation or included stablecoins or Bitcoin mining. This phenomenon was unprecedented.

“Every single panel is talking about regulations,” Ripple’s head of US public policy, Lauren Belive, told Cointelegraph at Swell on October 16, adding:

“We’ve seen a much broader swath now of policymakers really interested in the nuances of this technology.”

Compared to the 2020 elections or the 2022 US midterms, the crypto industry has made numerous strides in 2024. Trump characterized Bitcoin as a "scam" after leaving office and referred to it as "thin air" during his presidency from 2017 to 2021. Subsequently, both leading party candidates have issued statements indicating they intend to advocate for the industry if elected.

“I do think there’s a frustration and a sense that this is technology, and technology shouldn’t be a political issue — it’s become one in the United States,” Fireblocks head of legal and compliance, Jason Allegrante, told Cointelegraph. “I think that’s why people are now being much more vocal about what the potential impact of this election is.”

Lawmakers Ready to Tackle Crypto Issues as U.S. Election Nears, Industry Braces for Policy Shifts

The number of lawmakers and policymakers prepared to discuss digital assets, including at crypto-focused events, is increasing even though regulation has always been a concern for many in the industry.

Trump delivered the keynote address at the Bitcoin 2024 conference in Nashville, Tennessee. Several presidential candidates and lawmakers also addressed the North American Blockchain Summit in 2023. The summit will recommence following the US election on November 5.

“We’re going to be starting [in 2025] with the most educated Congress we’ve ever had because we have so many first-time candidates who are coming in with positions on crypto,” Blockchain Association CEO Kristin Smith said at a Permissionless panel on October 9.

Faryar Shirzad, the chief policy officer of Coinbase, stated during a separate panel on October 11:

“Regardless of what happens in the elections, we will have a very significantly advanced debate around the crypto issues and a very large cohort of members of the House and the Senate […] who will now come in with brand new pro-crypto voices.”

At the time of publication, Polymarket, a prediction platform, projected that Trump had a 60% chance of gaining the US Presidency over Vice President Harris.

At the time of publication, the Kalshi marketplace, which began accepting wagers on US elections after winning a court case against the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, estimated that Republicans had a 42% chance of gaining control of the House, Senate, and Presidency.