Yahoo News 
Crypto Executives Voice Concern to White House Advisers on Conference Call
(Bloomberg) -- Advisers to the Biden administration stopped short of making any promises to crypto industry executives who voiced policy concerns, according to a participant on a Zoom call held Thursday.
Most Read from Bloomberg
How a Tiny Midwestern Town Became a Mecca for Modern Architecture
How Chicago’s Gigantic Merchandise Mart Is Still Thriving as Office Space
In DNC, Chicago’s Embattled Transit System Faces a High-Profile Test
Los Angeles Sees Remote Work Helping ‘No Car’ 2028 Olympic Games
The White House advisers didn’t discuss any policy changes with the group, which included Coinbase Global Inc., Kraken and Ripple Lab officials. An earlier discussion was held in July. A White House spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Officials of Coinbase and Ripple have been among the loudest critics of the administration’s digital-asset policies and the actions of the US Securities and Exchange Commission. They’ve also been the biggest donors to political action committee Fairshake during the current election cycle.
The campaign of Republican nominee and former President Donald Trump has openly embraced the crypto industry in recent months, promising to support Bitcoin mining in the US and to oppose central bank digital currencies, for example. The Harris campaign hasn’t publicly announced her positions on issues important to the industry yet.
“The focus is on the future,” Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal, said in an interview. Grewal noted that he has talked directly with the Harris campaign several times in the last two weeks, and that Thursday’s call “stood in marked contrast to my experience with the Harris campaign.”
Deputy Chief of Staff Bruce Reed, National Economic Adviser Lael Brainard, Congressman Ro Khanna of California, and Kristine Lucius, a senior adviser and director of legislative affairs for the vice president, were on the call, according to a list seen by Bloomberg. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo attended as well.
Industry participants included Ripple Chief Executive Officer Brad Garlinghouse, Skybridge Founder Anthony Scaramucci, Jeremy Allaire of stablecoin issuer Circle, Hayden Adams from crypto-exchange project Uniswap, Kraken CEO David Ripley and venture capitalists Ron Conway, Chris Dixon and Mark Cuban.
A Ripple spokesperson confirmed Garlinghouse and co-founder Chris Larsen attended the meeting. The Treasury Department declined comment. Other attendees didn’t immediately respond to Bloomberg when reached for comment, or couldn’t be reached.
Most Read from Bloomberg Businessweek
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
