Regulation | ONEMINERS NEWS DESK
In the first half of 2026 the crypto industry put about $8 million behind one bill, the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. It got further than any crypto bill before it, and then it stalled in the Senate.
By Michal Beno, CEO, OneMiners
1 October 2026 · 4 min read
What happened
Crypto companies and trade groups spent about $8 million lobbying on the Clarity Act in the first half of 2026, out of roughly $13 million in total crypto lobbying. Coinbase led with $2.2 million. The bill, which would set clear US rules for crypto markets, still did not make it through the Senate.
The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act is meant to settle a long-running question: which crypto assets count as securities, overseen by the SEC, and which count as commodities, overseen by the CFTC. Without that line, US crypto firms say they operate in a grey zone. The bill had never got this far before, which is exactly why the industry spent so heavily.
Crypto lobbying spend, first half of 2026
US$ millions, approximate
Who paid the most
Biggest crypto lobbying spenders and recipients
US$ millions, first half of 2026
Coinbase's spending was big enough to rank it among the top ten securities and investment lobbyists overall, ahead of Goldman Sachs. Kraken spent nearly $1 million on the bill, and Digital Currency Group, Jump Crypto and Paradigm were also major contributors. At least 42 separate lobbying firms took crypto money.
Where the money went
$2.4M
paid to outside lobbying firms
$2.1M
trade-association lobbyists
380+
Blockchain Association meetings with officials
42
lobbying firms paid by crypto
CoinDesk analysis of lobbying disclosures, 30 September 2026. The rest of the $8M was spent by companies' own in-house teams.
Trade groups worked the Hill hard. The Blockchain Association ran five fly-ins, 15 staff briefings and more than 380 meetings, covering market structure, DeFi, tax and national security. The Crypto Council for Innovation spent about $610,000 on tax, stablecoin rules under the GENIUS Act, anti-money-laundering and market structure.
Why it fell short
Coinbase says the push brought a bipartisan market structure bill to the brink of passage and laid the groundwork for the rule-making now under way at the SEC and CFTC. Critics see it differently. Corey Frayer, a former SEC official now at the Consumer Federation of America, pointed to heavy infighting and a lack of unity across the industry.
“
Crypto companies tend to ignore the advice of experienced compliance people that they hire.
Corey Frayer, Consumer Federation of America, via CoinDesk
WHAT IT MEANS FOR MINERS
Bitcoin itself is already widely treated as a commodity in the US, so mining does not hang on the Clarity Act. But clear market rules shape everything around it: exchanges, custody, tax reporting and how easily miners can sell coins or raise money. Until Congress acts, regulators will keep writing the rules piece by piece. Read the OneMiners crypto tax guide, or see how hosted mining works.
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Browse Bitcoin minersBook a call with an expertSOURCES AND DATA
- Lobbying totals, company and firm figures, trade-group activity and quotes: CoinDesk, 30 September 2026
- Underlying data: US federal lobbying disclosures for Q1 and Q2 2026
Michal Beno
CEO of OneMiners, the global Bitcoin mining hosting and hardware platform with 15 published hosting locations, 7-year fixed electricity contracts and a 7-year hardware warranty. He writes about the economics of industrial Bitcoin mining.
Informational only, not financial advice. Figures are a snapshot from public market data and news reports as of 1 October 2026 and can change quickly. Crypto prices can fall as well as rise. No return is offered or implied. Do your own research.
