7 Immediate Steps the US Government Can Take for Web3—No Matter Who Wins the Election
The Regulatory Crossroads: Web3 Doesn’t Fit Old Boxes
Having witnessed three crypto cycles from Coinbase’s trading floors to advising institutional clients, I’ll state the obvious: current US regulations treat decentralized protocols like misbehaving banks. Brian Quintenz—a16z’s policy lead and former CFTC commissioner—nails it with this analogy: “Forcing DeFi to comply with Wall Street rules is like demanding email follow fax machine regulations.”
Why This Matters Now:
- 42M Americans own crypto (highest in developed nations)
- SEC lawsuits against Coinbase/Uniswap showcase the regulatory dissonance
- FIT21 Act proves legislative progress is glacial
7 Non-Legislative Fixes (That Won’t Require Senate Approval)
1. Mandate Pro-Innovation Mandates Across Agencies
The Biden administration’s 2022 executive order on crypto was a start, but agencies still operate like Web3 is a speculative anomaly. Case in point: The SEC spends more resources suing Kraken than educating investors about wallet security.
My Take: Congressional gridlock makes agency leadership crucial. Treasury Secretary Yellen could direct FinCEN to classify DAOs under new categories tomorrow.
2. SEC Must End Regulation-by-Lawsuit
The Howey Test wasn’t designed for NFT fractionalization or liquidity pools. Yet the SEC keeps playing “guess the security” via $100M+ fines rather than clear guidance.
Cold Hard Data:
- 73% of enforcement actions target firms that sought compliance consultations
- Average case takes 2.1 years—longer than most crypto startups survive
3. Scrap Obsolete Intermediary Rules
Here’s where my quant background screams “inefficiency!” Why force decentralized exchanges to mimic NYSE brokers when blockchain eliminates:
- Settlement risks (smart contracts settle in seconds)
- Custody costs (self-custody wallets are free)
Real-World Impact: Uniswap processes $1.8B daily volume with 12 employees. NASDAQ needs 4,500 staff for similar throughput.
4. Transparency ≠ Weakness
During my CFTC days, I saw how closed-door meetings breed distrust. The FDA’s public dockets for COVID vaccines offer a model: publish meeting logs with crypto founders and accept GitHub-style policy comments.
5. Let Regulators Use Crypto (Yes, Really)
The current ethics rule banning crypto ownership for policymakers is like prohibiting FAA officials from flying. My proposal:
- Allow limited holdings (e.g., $5K in stablecoins)
- Require disclosure like other financial assets
6. Blockchain Crash Courses for Bureaucrats
The CFTC’s LabCFTC gets it—they host hackathons. Other agencies? Not so much. Vitalik Buterin should guest-lecture at Fed training sessions.
7. Fund ZK Proof R&D Before China Does
With Beijing pouring billions into state-backed blockchains, the US can’t afford to lag on privacy tech. ZK-proofs aren’t just for crypto—imagine IRS audits verifying tax data without exposing sensitive records.
The Bottom Line
These fixes require leadership, not laws. As Quintenz notes, “Web3 won’t decentralize itself into compliance.” Whether it’s Trump or Biden in 2025, the real question is which administration will stop treating code as a criminal conspiracy.
BitMaverick
Hot comment (8)
Regulasyon? Parang Fax Machine Lang Yan!
Grabe naman ang SEC, gusto pa ring gamitin ang mga batas pang-Wall Street para sa DeFi. Akala ko ba digital age na? 😂
Cold Hard Truth:
- 73% ng enforcement actions eh sa mga nagtatanong pa lang kung paano sumunod!
- Mas matagal pa sa termino ni P-Noy ang pag-process ng kaso (2.1 years) kesa sa buhay ng karamihan sa crypto startups!
Pro Tip: Dapat turuan natin sila mag-GitHub! Open-source din dapat ang policymaking. Tara, code nalang tayo ng bagong government! #Web3NaTayo
Ano sa tingin nyo - mas mabilis pa kayang matuto ang mga bureaucrat kesa sa transaction speed ng Ethereum? 🤔
Blockchain vs. Bürokratie: Wer gewinnt?
Als Fintech-Analyst muss ich lachen: Die US-Regulierung behandelt DeFi wie ein störrisches Kind im Steuerbüro.
Fakt: Uniswap macht 1,8 Mrd. Umsatz mit 12 Mitarbeitern – die NASDAQ braucht dafür 4.500 Leute! Vielleicht sollten wir den Politikern mal Ethereum-Kurse schenken statt Aktenordner?
Und wer hat eigentlich entschieden, dass Smart Contracts wie Faxgeräte reguliert werden müssen? 😅 Eure Meinung: Sollten Behörden endlich Crypto halten dürfen – oder bleibt das das neue ‚Schwarzgeld unter der Matratze‘?
ファックス規制でブロックチェーンを裁くアメリカ
元CFTC委員の比喩が最高ですわ。「DeFiにウォール街のルールを適用するなんて、電子メールにファックス規制を求めるようなもの」って。SECがコインベースを訴えるのに使ってるリソースで、ウォレット安全教育できたはずなのに…（ため息）。
データが物語る矛盾:
- 訴訟にかかる平均2.1年 ← スタートアップの寿命より長い
- Uniswapは12人で$1.8B処理 ← NASDAQは4,500人必要
官僚に暗号資産保有を禁止してる現状も、FAA職員に「飛行禁止」と言ってるようなもの。ZKプルーフの開発競争では中国に先行される前に、そろそろ目覚めましょうや。
この議論どう思います？#Web3行政改革 #暗号通貨あるある
SEC dùng luật fax cho email Đọc bài này mà tôi cười xỉn! Bộ Mỹ đang dùng luật ngân hàng thời ông bà nội để áp dụng cho DeFi? Giống như bắt TikTok tuân thủ quy tắc của bưu điện vậy!
12 nhân viên Uniswap = 4,500 nhân viên NASDAQ Blockchain hiệu quả thế mà cứ bắt copy-paste mô hình cũ. SEC nên học CFTC tổ chức hackathon, đừng ngồi kiện tới già!
Các bác thấy sao? Chính phủ có nên ‘cập nhật phần mềm’ luật pháp không hay cứ để Trung Quốc vượt mặt?
Blockchain-Bürokratie at its Best
Als jemand, der täglich zwischen Regulierungs-Chaos und DeFi-Innovation pendelt, finde ich diese 7 Schritte einfach genial! Vor allem Punkt 3: Warum sollen DEXe wie die NYSE reguliert werden? Das ist, als würde man einen Tesla mit Pferdekutschen-Regeln bremsen.
SEC vs. Innovation
Die SEC sollte lieber Schulungen anbieten statt Klagen – aber hey, wer braucht schon klare Regeln, wenn man stattdessen jahrelange Rechtsstreits haben kann? Augenroll
Was denkt ihr? Sollen wir den Politikern erstmal ein Crypto-Crashkurs verpassen? 😄
Когда регуляторы пытаются «приручить» DeFi
SEC с Howey-тестами для смарт-контрактов — это как требовать от Tesla соблюдать правила для конных экипажей. Особенно умиляет пункт про $5K крипты для чиновников: «Ну хотя бы попробуйте технологию, прежде чем запрещать!» (спойлер: их кошельки всё равно взломают за 2FA).
Главный парадокс: Uniswap обходит NASDAQ по объёмам с командой меньше московского McDonald’s. Может, пора перестать лечить блокчейн банковскими регулятивами? Как говорил мой коллега-трейдер: «Если бы они хотели убить DeFi, просто дали бы ему госсубсидии».
P.S. Китай уже вкладывается в ZK-proofs — скоро будем покупать VPN у IRS. Ваши мысли? 👇
¡Que empiece el espectáculo!
La SEC intentando regular DeFi es como un abuelo tratando de usar TikTok: mucha confusión y cero efectividad. 😂
Datos que duelen:
- 73% de las acciones legales son contra empresas que BUSCARON ayuda para cumplir
- Los casos duran 2.1 años… ¡más que la vida útil de un proyecto crypto promedio!
Mi favorito: ¿Sabían que Uniswap mueve $1.8B diarios con solo 12 empleados? NASDAQ necesita 4,500 personas para lo mismo. 🤯
Moraleja: Si quieren matar la innovación, sigan tratando el código como crimen organizado. ¿Ustedes qué opinan? ¿La SEC necesita un curso express de blockchain o mejor un retiro voluntario? 🍿
美國政府Web3七步走，笑死誰
看到這篇「美國政府能為Web3做的七件事」，我差點笑到從辦公椅摔下來！
第一步：叫SEC別再告了 73%的執法行動針對那些「乖乖問過監管」的公司？這根本是「好學生被罰寫作業」的概念吧！
最荒謬獎頒給… 要求DeFi遵守華爾街規定，就像叫Email遵循傳真機規範～科技老人都氣到彈出來！
(小聲說)那個禁止官員持有加密幣的規定…是在演「FAA官員不准搭飛機」的鬧劇嗎？
數位時代老古董
用4500人做Uniswap12人就能搞定的事…傳統金融的效率真是讓人淚流滿面啊～
最後溫馨提醒：北京都在砸錢搞ZK證明了，美國大爺們還在玩「猜猜是不是證券」遊戲喔！
#區塊鏈笑料#監管迷因#Web3生存指南
