Introducing the United States Blockchain Coalition: A Catalyst for US Leadership in Blockchain Technology

According to a press release from PR Newswire, the newly formed United States Blockchain Coalition (USBC) launched on April 12th, 2023. The USBC is “A coalition of state blockchain associations across the country cooperating together to ensure the United States is a leader in blockchain, Web3, and distributed ledger technologies (DLT).”

It’s hard to imagine better timing for an organization like this to launch. Bitcoin and the crypto industry are under a 360-degree assault from environmentalists (skull of Satoshi) and state and federal regulators. So, what is the USBC about, who are some of the organizations involved, and what are they planning to do?

United States Blockchain Coalition

The USBC website is a bit sparse at the moment, but it conveys the point well enough for an organization that launched just a few days ago. The USBC aims to achieve its mission of ensuring the United States becomes a blockchain leader in several ways:

  • Aligning and collaborating on policy and legislative matters
  • Partnering with projects that enhance the competitiveness of the US
  • Disseminating best practices pertaining to economic development and regulatory action
  • Cataloging use cases from across the country so organizations in any state have access to them
  • Educating policymakers
  • Building relationships

One of the core tenets of the USBC is collaboration. This is necessary because many blockchain organizations are fragmented and underfunded. Collaborating across states makes it easier to establish credible information that can be presented to decision-makers. In addition to collaboration, the USBC also supports startups by eventually creating a more uniform operating environment so emerging companies have well-defined standards to operate with.

Importantly, the USBC will be initially focused on three big outcomes –

  1. “Ensuring that arbitrary anti-blockchain, anti-DLT, and anti-digital asset policies do not pass, primarily at the state level.”
  2. “Sharing best practices, learnings, and other resources across the states to create a more coherent national strategy and regulatory environment.”
  3. “Highlighting tech-savvy political candidates who are well-educated in blockchain and crypto.”

Partners

The USBC is partnered with the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA) which is comprised of 1,000 technology companies working together to create stronger communities. Among other things, the WTIA is focused on:

  • Creating industry-specific affinity groups
  • Events
  • Public policy and advocacy 

Leaders

The USBC has a Steering Committee made up of 7 members. Listed below are the names, contact information, and state-level affiliation of each member:

Michael Schutzler – Chairperson, Voting, Member of WTIA

Arry Yu – Co-Chair, Voting, Member of Cascadia Blockchain Council

Lee Brachter – Co-Chair, Voting, Member of Texas Blockchain Council

Jamie Minor – Voting, Member of Blockchain Advocacy Coalition (California)

David Pope – Member of Wyoming Blockchain Coalition

Sam Armnes – Member of Florida Blockchain Business Association

Dominic Folino – Member of Pennsylvania Blockchain Coalition

Final Thoughts

The USBC is a great step forward for the blockchain industry in the United States. By bringing together state-level organizations, it provides an opportunity to streamline operations and ensure that uniform standards are established across all states. The blockchain industry desperately needs representation, and this seems to be an excellent first step. Hopefully, the USBC grows quickly and can affect some positive, long-lasting changes in the industry.

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