Policy Summit and other things at Consensus 2026: State of Crypto

We are kicking off the show in Miami this week. Here's what you should attend.

Consensus 2026 in Miami starts Tuesday. We've got a host of policy sessions — some of which this newsletter previewed a few weeks back. Here's the full list of sessions you should attend. On the fence about going but you'll be in Miami? Not too late to register. Can't make it in person? Hit me up about a virtual pass.

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The narrative

Consensus 2026 Miami kicks off! Be there or be square.

Why it matters

The thing I enjoy most about Consensus is meeting folks who are willing to walk me through the policy and regulatory issues they're following. We're putting many of those folks on stage for that reason. The goal is for these sessions to be as informative as they are entertaining, if not more so. Bring your notebooks.

Breaking it down

The following is a complete list of the policy sessions taking place this week.

Tuesday

• 10:35 a.m. ET: Congressman Steven Horsford will discuss his Parity Act and legislative efforts to reform how crypto taxes are handled.
• 11:00 a.m. ET: Current and former Congressional staffers will walk us through the work they do and how they handle the important business of drafting legislation. Importantly, they'll discuss how the general public and interested parties can best engage with this process.
• 3:45 p.m. ET: Cooley LLP Partner and famed lawyer Brian Klein will discuss Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm's recent trial, and what's changed as a new trial looms.
• 4:10 p.m. ET: CFTC Chairman Mike Selig will sit for a fireside with CoinDesk's Jesse Hamilton.

Wednesday

• 9:45 a.m. ET: Senator Kirsten Gillibrand will discuss her work on crypto legislation.
• 10:25 a.m. ET: Bermuda Premier David Burt and Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal will discuss Bermuda's focus on incorporating digital assets and where that process is leading.
• 10:50 a.m. ET: Blockchain Association CEO Summer Mersinger, Solana Policy Institute CEO Kristin Smith and Jito Labs COO/CLO Rebecca Rettig will discuss how the crypto industry's being perceived among policymakers.
• 1:05 p.m. ET: American Bitcoin executives Eric Trump and Asher Genoot will take the stage.
• 3:10 p.m. ET: White House Executive Director Patrick Witt will sit for a fireside with Jesse.

Thursday

• 10:00 a.m. ET: We are kicking off the Policy Summit. The goal: Eight hours of informed discussion on key issues, starting with how decentralized finance can be regulated, especially given all the hacks that keep on happening.
• 10:30 a.m. ET: Former IRS officials Raj Mukherjee and Seth Wilks will discuss the 1099-DA and how the IRS' approach to digital assets may evolve. This session is part of the Policy Summit.
• 10:55 a.m. ET: PayPal Head of Crypto Compliance Larry Wade and Crypto Council for Innovation CEO Ji Hun Kim will talk about how fintech firms are looking at the regulatory sector for digital assets. This session is part of the Policy Summit.
• 11:40 a.m. ET: Senator Ashley Moody and Digital Chamber CEO Cody Carbone will discuss the industry's relationship with D.C.
• 11:40 a.m. ET: Executives at federally regulated banks will discuss how more and more crypto companies are seeking banking licenses, and what that means for both the banking and crypto industries. This session is part of the Policy Summit.
• 12:50 p.m. ET: World Liberty Financial co-founders Donald Trump, Jr. and Zach Witkoff will take the stage.
• 12:55 p.m. ET: Breadcrumbs analyst James Delmore will lay out how much money has been dedicated to the 2026 election from crypto companies, and how that may be spent. This session is part of the Policy Summit.
• 1:00 p.m. ET: Stand With Crypto's Mason Lynaugh, Fellowship PAC's Jesse Spiro and Sternhell Group's Alex Sternhell will discuss how the crypto industry is engaging with the midterm. This session is part of the Policy Summit.
• 1:30 p.m. ET: DeFi Education Fund's Gavin Zavatone and Blockchain Association's Lindsay Fraser will lay out what might happen with crypto legislation and rulemaking in 2027, based on the different possibilities this November. This session is part of the Policy Summit.
• 1:55 p.m. ET: SEC Crypto Task Force Chief Counsel Taylor Lindman will discuss his role and the work he's engaged in at the regulator. This session is part of the Policy Summit.
• 2:00 p.m. ET: Tether's Bo Hines and Bridge's Lindsey Einhaus will talk about the evolution of stablecoin regulations.
• 2:10 p.m. ET: Former CFTC Acting Chair and current Moonpay CLO Caroline Pham, Aleo's Head of Policy Yaya Fanusie and Binance Global Policy Lead Steven McWhirter will talk about recent regulator proposals around stablecoin rules, and what these proposals may eventually turn into. This session is part of the Policy Summit.
• 2:40 p.m. ET: Coinbase Vice President Kara Calvert will talk about the White House negotiations that may ultimately lead to a deal on stablecoin yield in the Clarity Act. This session is part of the Policy Summit.
• 2:55 p.m. ET: And speaking of the Clarity Act, is it even happening? Experts keeping track will weigh in. This session is part of the Policy Summit.
• 3:30 p.m. ET: Everyone is talking about tokenization, including how the rules around that sector of the financial services industry may change. This session is part of the Policy Summit.
• 4:00 p.m. ET: We've spilled a lot of ink talking about federal regulatory efforts, but the U.S. also has 50 states with their own jurisdictions and approaches. Representatives working with these states as part of, or with the local governments will talk about those approaches. This session is part of the Policy Summit.
• 4:30 p.m. ET: Last, but certainly not least: Prediction markets. Are prediction market contracts federally regulated swaps? Or are they gambling products dressed up as a financial derivative? These questions are sitting before courts throughout the country, and will likely wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court before all's said and done. A crack group of lawyers are going to preview what those arguments might look like to close out Policy Summit.

If you’ve got thoughts or questions on what I should discuss next week or any other feedback you’d like to share, feel free to email me at nik@coindesk.com or find me on Bluesky @nikhileshde.bsky.social.

You can also join the group conversation on Telegram.

See ya’ll next week!

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