Senate Urged to Advance Bill Shielding Crypto Developers

The cryptocurrency advocacy group Coin Center has submitted a formal letter to the US Senate Banking Committee, pressing for swift progress on legislation aimed at safeguarding conscientious blockchain developers from unwarranted criminal prosecution.

Background on the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act

Originally proposed by Representative Tom Emmer of the House in September 2018, the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA) seeks to establish clear guidelines for developers. A revised iteration of this important bill was recently drafted by Senators Cynthia Lummis and Ron Wyden. This updated version explicitly states that software creators and infrastructure operators who do not handle or control users’ funds should not be classified as money transmitters according to federal regulations. Such clarification is vital for fostering innovation without the overhang of legal jeopardy.

In his detailed correspondence shared publicly on Tuesday, Coin Center’s policy director Jason Somensatto emphasized to the Senate Banking Committee that the future of blockchain development in the United States hinges on providing developers with reliable legal safeguards. He argued passionately that these innovators face ongoing risks of prosecution simply for building tools, a burden not imposed on their counterparts in traditional internet technologies. Without these protections, the US risks stifling a critical sector of technological advancement.

Somensatto highlighted in the letter that the kinds of activities performed by blockchain developers mirror routine operations carried out daily by a wide array of internet-related entities. These include internet service providers, cloud hosting platforms, manufacturers of routers, creators of web browsers, and email service operators. Importantly, authorities do not pursue criminal charges or imprisonment against these providers merely because their technologies are sometimes exploited by wrongdoers—for instance, when criminals leverage the internet for illicit communications, dispatch emails, direct network traffic, or store files online.

He firmly asserted that this identical principle of non-liability must extend unequivocally to those working on blockchain protocols and applications. By applying the same standards, lawmakers can ensure a level playing field that encourages responsible innovation.

Furthermore, Somensatto pointed out that enacting the BRCA would create an environment where visionary figures—much like the pseudonymous Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto, Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin, or Uniswap developer Hayden Adams—can freely develop foundational systems. These are precisely the kinds of decentralized infrastructures that broader market structure legislation aims to nurture and safeguard for long-term economic benefits.

Based in Washington, DC, Coin Center operates as a non-profit think tank and advocacy organization dedicated exclusively to shaping public policies surrounding cryptocurrencies and other decentralized technologies. Their work focuses on promoting sensible regulations that balance innovation with necessary oversight.

Recent Convictions Highlight Urgent Need for Protections

Coin Center’s renewed campaign for these developer safeguards aligns closely with discussions around the CLARITY Act and follows a series of prominent legal cases involving cryptocurrency developers in the United States last year. These incidents underscore the precarious legal landscape currently facing the industry.

Among the notable cases were the convictions of Roman Storm, a key developer behind the Tornado Cash privacy protocol, as well as Keonne Rodriguez and Will Lonergan Hill, the founders of Samourai Wallet. Each of these individuals was found guilty of conspiring to run an unlicensed money-transmitting operation in 2025. In November of that year, Rodriguez received a five-year prison sentence, while Lonergan Hill was handed a four-year term. Storm, meanwhile, remains in anticipation of his own sentencing hearing.

Potential Risks of Diluting BRCA Measures

The Senate Banking Committee continues its examination of the most recent draft of the BRCA, which has yet to undergo markup sessions or formal votes. Somensatto cautioned that any decision to eliminate or even modestly weaken the bill’s core provisions could introduce profound legal ambiguities for blockchain developers across the board.

Such uncertainty, he warned, might discourage ethical and innovative developers from establishing or continuing operations within the US. Instead, they could be compelled to relocate their efforts to more permissive international jurisdictions, resulting in a significant loss of talent, jobs, and technological leadership for the American economy. Protecting developers through clear legislation like the BRCA is therefore not just a matter of fairness but a strategic imperative for maintaining US competitiveness in the global digital asset space.