Kristin Smith unpacks the new Blockchain Association PAC

Episode 94 of Season 4 of The Scoop was recorded at SALT New York 2022 on September 13 with The Block's Frank Chaparro, and Blockchain Association's executive director Kristin Smith.

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The Blockchain Association recently launched a new political action committee (PAC) designed to build relationships with pro-crypto congressional candidates.

In this episode of The Scoop, the Blockchain Association’s executive director Kristin Smith shares the objectives of the new Blockchain Association PAC, and why she believes Congress is the appropriate authority to design a regulatory framework for the crypto industry.

As Smith explains, the Blockchain Association PAC is intended to promote pro-crypto candidates:

“For us, this PAC is really about building relationships… This isn't the type of PAC where we go and buy a bunch of airtime or print out a bunch of mailers and spend a few hundred thousand dollars or $1,000,000 in a single race.”

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While SEC chair Gary Gensler recently remarked that multiple crypto regulators could undermine the SEC’s efforts, Smith believes the Congress is in the best position to effectuate change:

“We need Congress to step in and help sort through these issues because they are the ones that can grant new authority and they're the ones that have the flexibility to design a regulatory system that matches the risks that we see in crypto.”

During this episode, Chaparro and Smith also discuss:

  • How the Blockchain Association is responding to the Tornado Cash sanctions
  • Whether or not the bear market impacted crypto lobbying efforts
  • When we might see Congressional crypto legislation

This episode is brought to you by our sponsors Tron

About Tron
TRON is dedicated to accelerating the decentralization of the internet via blockchain technology and decentralized applications (dApps). Founded in September 2017 by H.E. Justin Sun, the TRON network has continued to deliver impressive achievements since MainNet launch in May 2018. July 2018 also marked the ecosystem integration of BitTorrent, a pioneer in decentralized web3 services boasting over 100 million monthly active users. The TRON network completed full decentralization in December 2021 and is now a community-governed DAO. | TRONDAO | Twitter | Discord |


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About Authors

Davis Quinton is the Director of Podcasts at The Block and runs our flagship podcast called The Scoop, hosted by Frank Chaparro. Since joining The Block as an 'intern' in early 2022, he has worked closely with leaders across departments to translate The Block's written content into engaging multimedia formats. He holds a degree in Social Research & Public Policy from New York University in Abu Dhabi and is based in Sydney, Australia.
Frank Chaparro is Host of The Scoop podcast and Director of Special Projects. He also writes a biweekly newsletter. Chaparro started his career at Business Insider, where he specialized in the intersection of digital assets and Wall Street, market structure, and financial technology. Soon after joining Business Insider out of Fordham University, Chaparro was interviewing top finance and tech executives, including billionaire Mark Cuban, “Flash Boys” star Brad Katsuyama, Cboe Global Markets CEO Ed Tilly, and New York Stock Exchange President Tom Farley. In 2018, he become a sought after reporter in the crypto world, interviewing luminaries such as Tyler Winklevoss, the cofounder of Gemini, Jeremy Allaire, the CEO of Circle, and Fundstrat head Tom Lee. For inquiries or tips, email [email protected].