In a new piece for The Messina Memo, Abram Smith, who leads our blockchain practice and has advised crypto and fintech clients for more than a decade, argues that the industry’s political reputation could become a serious liability when Democrats regain power in Congress.
Crypto made a big bet on Trump-era Washington, and it worked. But Trump forced crypto further to the right than it ever wanted to be.
Ahead of midterms, the industry is overextended and isn’t sprinting back to the center fast enough.
His take: the industry’s race back to the middle should have started yesterday. And while the opportunity to rebuild bipartisan trust is still open, the window is narrowing fast.
Abram lays out a four-step playbook that every serious crypto operator needs to hear before the hearings, investigations, and public scrutiny begin, from returning to messaging-first principles like financial inclusion and privacy, to distancing the industry from meme coins, gambling platforms, and partisan side quests.