As this newsletter's readers may be aware, Congress has been debating market structure legislation for several months, but crypto policy discussions encompass a wide range of issues beyond this single topic, including taxes, decentralized finance regulations, the upcoming midterm election, and more. CoinDesk's Consensus Miami conference will delve into each of these issues in detail. The significance of policy changes around digital assets has grown substantially, with last year seeing the first major crypto-specific legislation signed by U.S.
President Donald Trump and regulators altering their approach to enforcement actions. The crypto industry has made significant progress, with the price of bitcoin soaring and legislation seeming imminent, although the current year has seen crypto prices stagnate amid broader economic stresses and time running out for Congress to pass market structure legislation. Despite this, regulators have begun proposing rules for stablecoin companies, lawmakers are considering reforms to U.S. crypto tax policy, and the industry has cemented its presence.
The industry is still seeking tax reform, hoping the market structure bill will become law without overly burdening the industry, and looking ahead to the upcoming U.S. Congress election. The Consensus Miami conference will bring together leading lawmakers, regulators, and industry experts to discuss these issues, including Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Ashley Moody, CFTC Chairman Mike Selig, and White House point man on crypto Patrick Witt.
The conference will feature a Policy & Regulation Summit, exploring key policy and regulatory issues, such as decentralized finance compliance with anti-money laundering rules, taxes in the new 1099-DA era, and the Clarity Act. The summit will also include sessions focused on the 2026 midterm election and feature experts such as SEC Crypto Task Force chief Taylor Lindman and former IRS officials Seth Wilks and Raj Mukherjee.
The conference will conclude with a debate on prediction markets, discussing whether they are a form of gambling or a novel financial instrument and who should regulate them.