Crypto industry gave $8 million to Clarity Act lobbyists who didn't close the deal — SkimNews
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- Crypto industry spent $13 million on federal lobbying in H1 2026, with roughly $8 million explicitly tied to the Clarity Act — which never advanced in the U.S. Senate, according to CoinDesk's review of disclosure filings.
- Coinbase led the charge at $2.2 million on Clarity Act advocacy, placing in the top-ten overall for securities and investment lobbying and outpacing both Goldman Sachs and Andreessen Horowitz per OpenSecrets.org.
- Kraken, Digital Currency Group, Jump Crypto, and Paradigm joined Coinbase among major Clarity spenders, while outside lobbying shops — at least 42 in total — split the remaining influence dollars.
- Checkmate Government Relations collected roughly $1.8 million in crypto fees (mostly from Binance), and Sternhell Group took in $660,000 from digital-asset clients during the same two quarters.
- Blockchain Association held 380-plus meetings alongside five industry fly-ins and 15 staff briefings covering market structure, DeFi, tax policy, and national security, per Chief Policy Officer Lindsay Fraser.
- Consumer Federation of America's Corey Frayer pointed to "very big internal infighting and a lack of unification" among industry players on policy, though the bill advanced further than any prior crypto market-structure effort.
Why it matters: The $8 million Clarity Act loss doesn't end the campaign — Coinbase, Blockchain Association and others are already redirecting the same lobbying apparatus toward SEC and CFTC rulemaking, meaning regulators may end up writing the market structure the industry couldn't legislate. For a sector that spent over $100 million electing friendly lawmakers, the failed $8 million signature push highlights how internal disunity and a 42-firm lobbying free-for-all can neutralize even massive financial firepower.
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