Share this article
Crypto Industry Is 'Absolutely' at War Against Gensler and Warren, Blockchain Association CEO Smith Says
The war won't last forever, but probably will continue for the next 18-20 months, Kristin Smith said.
By Aoyon Ashraf
Updated May 1, 2023, 1:56 p.m. Published Apr 28, 2023, 9:57 p.m.
AUSTIN, Texas – The crypto industry is "absolutely at war" against policy and lawmakers in the U.S., particularly against Securities and Exchange (SEC) Chairman Gary Gensler and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Blockchain Association CEO Kristin Smith said during a panel Friday at Consensus 2023.
"Elizabeth Warren has an anti crypto army. She is advertising on Twitter for her campaign, that she has an anti-crypto army," Smith said during "Beltway Confidential: Inside the D.C. Crypto Scene."
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Sen. Warren's controversial Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering Act (DAAMLA) was originally introduced in December and did not go anywhere. It was met with little fanfare and considerable criticism.
Read full coverage of Consensus 2023 here.
Smith, however, provided a glimmer of hope for the industry during the panel, saying that a pro-crypto "army," including the Blockchain Association, are fighting "in Washington every day" for the industry. "There's a reason that Elizabeth Warren has stalled her bill [and] that's because she lost co-sponsors," Smith said. "And that was because of the lobbying effort and education effort that went on" from the pro-crypto groups."
Read more: 4 Reasons Why US Lawmakers Shouldn’t Back Sen. Warren’s Latest Crypto Bill
"So we're fighting. I don't think this is a war that lasts forever, but we're going to probably be at war for the next 18 to 20 months," Smith added.
Read more: SEC Chairman Gensler Releases Another Video Dig at Crypto Industry
Більше для вас
Що варто знати:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
Більше для вас
Crypto CEOs Join U.S. CFTC's Innovation Council to Steer Market Developments
The chief executives of firms such as Gemini and Kraken will pitch in on U.S. policy efforts through the council's future, public discussions.
Що варто знати:
- In her final days atop the agency, Commodity Futures Trading Commission Acting Chairman Caroline Pham announced her CEO Innovation Council, replete with crypto executives.
- The names include the chief executives from Gemini, Kraken, Polymarket, Bitnomial and several others.
- The CFTC is expected to get its permanent chairman very soon when the Senate votes on the confirmation of Mike Selig, President Donald Trump's nominee.
Top Stories
