The "Golden Age" For The Bitcoin And Crypto Industry Begins

In the first ever official press conference for digital assets hosted by the U.S. government, Crypto Czar David Sacks and pro-crypto U.S. politicians committed to prioritizing bitcoin and digital assets during the Trump administration.

The U.S. government's first-ever official press conference on digital assets was held on March 8, with Crypto Czar David Sacks and several pro-crypto U.S. politicians in attendance. The event was centered around the Trump administration's efforts to prioritize bitcoin and digital assets.

Opening the conference, Sacks highlighted President Trump's executive order from the first week of his administration, which outlines the government's support for the responsible growth and use of digital assets, blockchain technology and related technologies across all sectors of the economy. He also noted that the order establishes a working group for digital assets and a mandate for the group.

“Our objective is to accomplish the task the President assigned for us in his EO, which is to propose a Federal regulatory framework governing the issuance and operation of digital assets, including stablecoins, in the United States,” Sacks said.

The gathering also aimed to address the changing stance of the new administration towards the Bitcoin and crypto industry, in contrast to the hostility faced during the Biden administration.

“I’ve talked to many founders over the last few years and they’ve told me repeatedly that the number one thing they need from Washington is regulatory clarity,” Sacks said.

“They just want to know what the rules of the road are so they can abide by them. We’re coming off frankly four years of arbitrary prosecution and persecution of crypto companies where the SEC wouldn’t tell founders what the rules were and then they would prosecute them. Many founders even told me stories of being debanked personally just because they had founded a crypto company,” he added.

Concluding his opening remarks, Sacks expressed his anticipation for working with the politicians hosting the conference — Senator Tim Scott (R-SC), Congressman French Hill (R-AR), Senator John Boozman (R-AR) and Congressman (R-PA) — in “creating a golden age for digital assets.”

Senator Scott kicked off his remarks by stating that this “golden age has begun” and that “the good news is that it’s going to get better.” He also mentioned his plans to “work synergistically with the House and the Senate, with the White House leading the way” in passing bills on digital assets.

Emphasizing the importance of the U.S. leading in the digital asset industry, Rep. Hill stated that “We don’t want to be behind in financial technology and digital assets in the United States, [and] our innovators need clarity.” He added that he is forming a working group between the House Financial Services Committee, the Senate Banking Committee, the House Agriculture Committee and the Senate Agriculture Committee to create a clear regulatory framework.

Highlighting the diverse nature of crypto assets, Senator Boozman noted that “Some assets are commodities, some are securities,” indicating that different regulatory agencies should oversee different crypto assets.

Rep. Thompson elaborated on the stages of the Internet, ultimately leading to the “Internet of value” today. He pointed out that “America really was the leader when it came to Internet 1.0, and [with] Internet 2.0, again, it was America that led that for the world.” He added that “Internet 3.0 is what we’re talking about today, and that’s the Internet of value — and we’re approaching it in a principled way.”

This “principled way” includes protecting consumers while still providing a space for innovation in the Bitcoin and crypto industry, according to Rep. Thompson. He also mentioned that the opportunities in crypto are “unimaginable.”

During a Q&A session, Senator Scott mentioned that bipartisan efforts are being made around crypto in the Senate, with Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) and Kirsten Gillibrand coming together for the market structure bill.

When asked about reconsidering Anti-Money Laundering (AML) laws as they apply to crypto, Senator Scott said he's open to it. “I think that the broader conversation should not be about digital assets alone,” he said. “It’s about bad actors doing bad things by any means necessary.”

Rep. Hill also commented on AML regulations, stating that they should exist in the digital asset space, much like they do in the analog financial realm.

Emphasizing the need for education, given that crypto assets are still a relatively new subject, Rep. Thompson stated that “Member education is what our first goal is here.” Rep. Hill agreed with this sentiment.

Sacks also offered his thoughts on this topic, adding that some of the educators can be “luminaries in the industry.” As Sacks elaborated on this point, he also differentiated between Bitcoin and all other crypto assets and networks.

“Crypto can be an esoteric subject, and it is good to explain it, to demystify it,” Sacks said. “You’ve got the cryptocurrency itself like bitcoin, [and then other assets that] run on blockchains, which are just distributed ledgers.”

Before the