The Chamber of Digital Commerce (CDC) was founded in 2014 by Perianne Boring, a former financial journalist and Congressional staffer, when Bitcoin was trading below $500 and Congress barely knew what blockchain was. In the decade since, the Chamber has built the most established blockchain advocacy operation in Washington and claims status as the world’s largest blockchain trade association by member company count.
Origins and Mission
Boring founded the CDC with a deliberately mainstream framing: a “chamber of commerce” for the blockchain industry, modeled on the US Chamber of Commerce’s role in representing business interests to government. This positioning was strategic — “chamber” conveys institutional legitimacy, distinguishing the organization from advocacy groups that regulators might dismiss as industry capture. The approach has been effective: CDC staff regularly testify before Congress and engage in regulatory comment processes alongside traditional financial industry associations.
The Chamber’s stated mission is to promote the acceptance and use of digital assets and blockchain-based technologies through public policy engagement, education, and advocacy. In practice, this has meant defending crypto-native business models from regulatory overreach while supporting frameworks that enable institutional adoption.
Key Policy Positions
FIT21 support: The Chamber strongly supported the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act, which would create a regulatory framework distinguishing digital commodities (CFTC jurisdiction) from digital securities (SEC jurisdiction). FIT21 passed the House with bipartisan support in 2024 and the Chamber has pressed the Senate for passage.
SAB 121 opposition: The Chamber was among the first to formally oppose SEC Staff Accounting Bulletin 121 (2022), submitting detailed comment letters arguing that the balance sheet recording requirement would prevent regulated financial institutions from providing digital asset custody — harming consumer protection by pushing custody to unregulated entities. The SAB 121 reversal in 2025 validated this position.
GENIUS Act engagement: The Chamber submitted detailed comments on the GENIUS Act stablecoin legislation, advocating for regulatory clarity that preserves US stablecoin issuer competitiveness while establishing reserve and consumer protection standards.
FinCEN unhosted wallet rule opposition: In 2021, FinCEN proposed a rule requiring banks and money services businesses to collect identity information for cryptocurrency transfers to unhosted wallets. The Chamber coordinated industry opposition, arguing the rule was technically unworkable and would harm legitimate users. FinCEN subsequently withdrew the proposal.
Wyoming Legislation Work
The Chamber engaged with Wyoming legislators to develop some of the most innovative state-level digital asset legislation in the US. Wyoming’s Special Purpose Depository Institution (SPDI) charter — which allows companies to hold digital assets for customers under a state bank-equivalent framework — was developed with CDC input. Wyoming’s DAO LLC statute (2021) — recognizing Decentralized Autonomous Organizations as limited liability companies — also benefited from Chamber advocacy. Caitlin Long (Avanti Bank founder) worked with CDC during this period.
Global Digital Finance
The Chamber co-founded Global Digital Finance (GDF), a self-regulatory body based in the UK that develops voluntary standards for crypto markets. GDF has published code of conduct frameworks, governance standards for token issuers, and KYC/AML best practice guides. Membership includes major crypto firms globally. GDF standards are designed to demonstrate industry good faith to regulators — “we will regulate ourselves to these standards while you develop formal rules.”
Annual Blockchain Summit
The Chamber’s annual Blockchain Summit in Washington DC convenes members of Congress, regulators, industry leaders, and academics for educational sessions and policy discussions. The Summit has featured multiple SEC and CFTC commissioners as speakers, demonstrating the Chamber’s established access to regulatory leadership. For the first decade, the Summit served an educational function — many Congressional attendees arrived knowing little about blockchain. By 2024-2026, the focus shifted to specific legislative and regulatory priorities.
Differentiation from Blockchain Association
The Chamber of Digital Commerce and Blockchain Association (founded 2018) are the two primary crypto industry advocacy organizations in DC. The Chamber is older, larger, and has historically taken a broader industry education and advocacy role. The Blockchain Association has been more adversarial toward SEC under Gensler and more focused on litigation support for member companies facing enforcement. The two organizations often align on legislative positions but occasionally differ on tactical approach.