Although cryptocurrency may still be misunderstood on Capitol Hill, crypto is becoming more political as its influence gains traction. For instance, lobbying by those involved in the cryptocurrency industry has reached new heights. A report from the nonprofit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen found that the number of lobbyists for cryptocurrency-related issues rose from 115 in 2018 to 320 in 2021. The report further indicated that the number of representatives within the cryptocurrency industry increased from 47 to 157 during that time period. The United States midterm elections — set to take place on November 8, 2022 — are further …

The Northern Virginia county of Fairfax has already invested a part of its pension funds in crypto and blockchain startups. Now, it’s mulling over deeper involvement with decentralized finance (DeFi) yield farming. The Fairfax County Police Pension System’s chief investment officer Katherine Molnar said on Tuesday at the Milken Institute Global Conference that the system aims to fund two new crypto-focused hedge fund managers in the next three weeks. The next few days will see a decision made, which, if approved, would be the first time pension fund money was used in DeFi. According to Molnar, Fairfax has already committed …

Stokely-Van Camp, the beverage company with the original rights to market and produce Gatorade, may be exploring releasing virtual sports drinks in the metaverse. According to records submitted to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, or USPTO, on Wednesday, Stokely-Van Camp filed two applications for the word Gatorade and the sports drink’s “G”-shaped orange, black and white logo to be used in connection with “virtual beverage products” and nonfungible tokens, or NFTs. The filings suggest Gatorade may be preparing to introduce its branded products to the metaverse. Getting dehydrated from a workout in the metaverse? Gatorade will have you …

The crypto community and Wall Street converged last week in Nassau, Bahamas, to discuss the future of digital assets during SALT’s Crypto Bahamas conference. The SkyBridge Alternatives Conference (SALT) was also co-hosted this year by FTX, Sam Bankman-Fried’s cryptocurrency exchange. Anthony Scaramucci, founder of the hedge fund SkyBridge Capital, kicked off Crypto Bahamas with a press conference explaining that the goal behind the event was to merge the traditional financial world with the crypto community: “Crypto Bahamas combines the crypto native FTX audience with the SkyBridge asset management firm audience. We are bringing these two worlds together to create a …

Two committees of the Hawaii State Legislature — Commerce and Consumer Protection (CPN) and Ways and Means (WAM) — unanimously approved the launch of a specialized task force to explore the use and regulation of the crypto ecosystem. In a letter addressed to the President of the Hawaii State Senate, Ron Kouchi, legislative members Donovan Dela Cruz and Roz Baker wrote in support of creating a “Blockchain and Cryptocurrency Task Force” that was first proposed in bill SB2695. SB2695, titled “A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CRYPTOCURRENCY,” sought to establish a task force within the Department of Budget and …

Lawyers for Dfinity Foundation, a Switzerland-based nonprofit behind the Internet Computer blockchain, have filed a lawsuit against Facebook’s parent company Meta for trademark infringement over its infinity logo. In a Friday court filing with the United States District Court for the Northern District of California, Dfinity’s legal team claimed Meta Platforms was registering the use of its logo, which also uses the mathematical symbol for the concept of infinity, “in some of the same or similar areas in which Dfinity has already obtained registration for its mark.” According to the blockchain firm, Meta filed an application with the U.S. Patent …

The Empire State made two appearances on the regulatory stage last week, and neither was entirely reassuring. On April 25, bill S8839 was proposed in the New York State (NYS) Senate that would criminalize “rug pulls” and other crypto frauds, while two days later, the state’s Assembly passed a ban on non-green Bitcoin (BTC) mining. The first event was met with some ire from industry representatives, while the second drew negative reviews, too. However, this may have been more of a reflex response given that the “ban” was temporary and principally aimed at energy providers. The fraud bill, sponsored by …

When times are tough — as in the pandemic — enterprising human nature goes into overdrive. People seek out alternative ways to make money. That could be one of the reasons why cryptocurrencies skyrocketed in popularity in the last few years, driven in part by large numbers of people sitting at home wondering how to beat low-interest rates and rising inflation. Where there’s cash, however, there are also criminals. Bad actors are experts in human behavior and see building momentum and increased crypto traffic as a huge opportunity, knowing that many newer investors may not do their homework. Investors might …

Mishi Choudhary, the legal director of the Software Freedom Law Center, supported the efforts of some United States lawmakers to develop an electronic version of the U.S. dollar. In written testimony for a Thursday hearing of the House Financial Services Committee on digital wallets, Choudhary said the United States needed “a currency or electronic token that is equivalent in functionality to cash, offers all of its benefits including anonymity, privacy, autonomy, no transaction fee and addresses all of its flaws.” Her description suggested a token with many of the benefits of a central bank digital currency and cryptocurrencies but without …

Him Das, the acting director of the United States Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, said some of the government bureau’s tools to fight money laundering and terrorism financing may be ill suited for crypto. In a Thursday hearing of the House Financial Services Committee on "Oversight of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network," Das addressed concerns from lawmakers regarding FinCEN’s authority to pursue information on illicit digital asset transactions. Kentucky Representative Andy Barr said many of the current "special measures" FinCEN was authorized to use under Section 311 of the PATRIOT Act were “rarely used,” while Das hinted that digital …

Michael Hsu, the acting head at the United States Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, said stablecoins need standards comparable to the early internet. In a written statement following his appearance at the Artificial Intelligence and the Economy event in Washington D.C. on Wednesday, Hsu said stablecoins lacked “shared standards,” were “interoperable,” and needed standards similar to those set by the Internet Engineering Task Force and World Wide Web Consortium. According to the OCC head, representatives from the crypto industry as well as within the U.S. government — including the OCC and National Institute of Standards and Technology — …

After weeks of delays due, in part, to partisan obstructionism, the United States Senate has confirmed the nomination of Lael Brainard, a member of the Federal Reserve's board of governors, as the next vice chair of the central bank. In a 52–43 vote on the Senate floor on Tuesday, U.S. lawmakers confirmed Brainard a vice chair of the Federal Reserve for four years, potentially beyond her term as a governor ending in January 2026. Brainard was one of four nominees waiting for approval since Republican lawmakers in the Senate Banking Committee boycotted a February committee, which would have sent the …