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About Coin Center
Coin Center is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit think tank focused on cryptocurrency and blockchain policy. Its core work includes producing academic research, educating policymakers, testifying before Congress, and filing lawsuits or amicus briefs to challenge regulations it sees as unconstitutional.
Its main value proposition is defending the open, decentralized nature of crypto networks. For example, Coin Center has argued that publishing software code is protected speech under the First Amendment, and that developers who merely write and release code should not be treated as regulated financial intermediaries. It also advocates for clear rules on issues like self-custody, block rewards taxation, and privacy tools.
The market pain point Coin Center addresses is regulatory uncertainty and selective enforcement. Instead of clear legislative guidance, the crypto industry often faces case-by-case enforcement actions, which creates unfair advantages for well-funded players and chills innovation. Coin Center pushes for consistent, principled rules that apply equally to everyone.
In the past six months (March to September 2026), Coin Center released a report in April 2026 arguing that publishing software code is free speech, and proposed a legal framework distinguishing protected code publication from regulated conduct like controlling user funds. It also continued its long-running litigation and advocacy efforts, including challenges to Treasury sanctions on Tornado Cash and IRS tax treatment of block rewards. The organization remains active in public testimony and policy debates, though specific legislative outcomes remain pending.
Coin Center was founded in 2014 as a nonprofit focused on cryptocurrency policy research and advocacy. Key long-term milestones include: after the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in 2021, Coin Center sued the Treasury and IRS in 2022 over Section 6050I's crypto transaction reporting rules, arguing they were unconstitutional and constituted "overbearing surveillance." In August 2024, the Sixth Circuit partially reversed the lower court, allowing Fourth Amendment, First Amendment, and enumerated-powers claims to proceed. Another node was its Tornado Cash challenge: after OFAC sanctioned the mixer in 2022, Coin Center sued, alleging the Treasury exceeded its statutory authority; however, in July 2025, the Eleventh Circuit granted a joint motion to dismiss, ending that suit. Also in 2025, Coin Center criticized the Trump administration for failing to honor its promise not to prosecute privacy-software developers, underscoring its ongoing advocacy for privacy and code freedom. These moments reflect the organization's lasting role in defending civil liberties in crypto through litigation and policy engagement.
Coin Center成立于2014年，是聚焦加密货币政策研究与倡导的非营利组织。其具备长期意义的节点包括：2021年《基础设施投资与就业法》通过后，Coin Center针对其中6050I条款对加密交易申报的要求，于2022年起诉财政部与国税局，指其违宪并构成“过度监控”。2024年8月，第六巡回上诉法院部分推翻原判，允许第四修正案、第一修正案及权限主张继续审理。另一节点是围绕Tornado Cash的诉讼：2022年OFAC制裁该混币服务后，Coin Center诉讼称财政部超越法定权限；但2025年7月，第十一巡回上诉法院批准联合动议驳回上诉，终结该挑战。此外，2025年Coin Center批评特朗普政府未履行不起诉隐私软件开发者的承诺，凸显其在隐私与代码自由议题上的持续立场。这些节点体现了该组织通过诉讼与政策倡导捍卫加密领域公民自由的长期角色。
Over the past six months, Coin Center made significant progress on its top legislative priority: the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA). In May 2026, the Senate Banking Committee advanced the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act with the BRCA's core provisions intact, providing legal protection for non-custodial developers and infrastructure providers from being classified as money transmitters. In April, Coin Center published a report titled “Software is Speech: Why Regulators Cannot Invent the Missing Middlemen.” In June, it submitted comments to FinCEN and OFAC on the proposed permitted payment stablecoin issuer rules, advocating for privacy-preserving compliance, data minimization, and due process protections.
Looking ahead, Coin Center will continue pushing for the BRCA to become law, while engaging on stablecoin and DeFi regulatory frameworks to ensure legislation distinguishes open-source software from financial intermediation and shields non-custodial developers from overbroad enforcement.
Co-founders and current core executives:
Jerry Brito: Co-founder. Served as Executive Director until 2024 and remains on the board. Previously founded George Mason University's Technology Policy Program and worked at the Cato Institute.
Balaji Srinivasan: Co-founder. Entrepreneur and investor, former CTO of Coinbase and general partner at Andreessen Horowitz.
Peter Van Valkenburgh: Director of Research. Leads research, policymaker education, and advocacy for sensible crypto regulation.
Neeraj Agrawal: Director of Communications. Oversees public communications and outreach.