House Democrats Form Cryptocurrency Working Group

The announcement came in a hearing about central bank digital currencies.

Rep. Maxine Waters, (D-Calif.) is creating a working group to evaluate cryptocurrencies.

U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) announced in a virtual hearing with the FinTech Task Force discussing central bank digital currencies (CBDDs) that she is forming a group of Democratic House members to tackle growing concerns about cryptocurrency.

Waters, chairwoman of the House Financial Services Committee, said the group will work “to engage with regulators and experts to do a deep dive on this poorly understood and minimally regulated industry."

In a hearing last week, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) echoed a similar sentiment toward the crypto industry, referring to it as a "Wild West” in need of regulation.

Pressure for regulation comes on the heels of demand for a central bank digital currency backed by the Federal Reserve, which Warren said would “drive out bogus digital private money."

Waters has long been critical of cryptocurrency and its unregulated nature, and last month's cyberattacks against Colonial Pipeline, which paid a ransom in bitcoin, sparked new discussions about regulating crypto.

Read more: Waters Tells Biden to Rescind OCC Crypto Guidance; May Be Part of Anti-Trump, Anti-Crypto Offensive

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Digital assets posted a third consecutive quarter of losses in Q2 2026, the longest losing streak since the 2022 bear market, as institutional capital rotated into AI equities and Bitcoin ETFs recorded their largest quarterly outflow since launch. Our report examines what drove the divergence, where structural adoption continued regardless, and what Q3 signals to watch.

Why it matters:

Digital assets posted a third consecutive quarter of losses in Q2 2026, the longest losing streak since the 2022 bear market, as institutional capital rotated into AI equities and Bitcoin ETFs recorded their largest quarterly outflow since launch. Our report examines what drove the divergence, where structural adoption continued regardless, and what Q3 signals to watch.