Coin Center

We just published a new tax report by the inimitable @abesutherland addressing a topic that has not received much attention to-date. Some recent tax bills have included provisions applying the wash-sale rule to crypto. Abe walks through why that would be a mistake.

The Wash-Sale Rule Would Break Crypto Tax Compliance By walking through detailed real-world scenarios, this report demonstrates that a crypto wash-sale rule would undermine compliance, distort ordinary economic activity, and impose costs far exceeding any potential revenue gains. New report: coincenter.org/the-wash-sale-…

Code is Speech. New report: coincenter.org/software-is-sp…

Michael Lewellen is appealing his case to the 5th Circuit. He faces a credible threat of prosecution for publishing privacy software and he deserves to know whether money transmission licensing laws apply. coincenter.org/continuing-the…

Michael Lewellen has appealed Lewellen v. Garland to the Fifth Circuit, with Coin Center’s support. The DOJ had his case tossed by arguing there’s no “credible threat” to Michael, pointing to a memo promising not to target non-custodial developers. ...Even though they are actively going after non-custodial devs right now. Michael is an impossible situation. the only way to test those promises is to publish his code and risk prosecution. coincenter.org/continuing-the…

Coin Center’s analysis of Treasury’s GENIUS report: In short, we emphasize privacy and self-sovereignty in digital identity, and explain why Congress should avoid expanding the Bank Secrecy Act and instead focus on CLARITY. coincenter.org/treasurys-geni…

In a letter to the SEC, Coin Center suggests the agency: 1) Prioritize rulemaking over case by case no-action letters 2) Consider whether open blockchains obviate the need for transfer agents altogether (and to resist rent seeking state-mandated intermediation)

Today, @RepFitzgerald , @RepBenCline, and @RepZoeLofgren have introduced the Promoting Innovation in Blockchain Development Act, which provides the necessary clarity to Title 18 Section 1960 such that software developers will not be misclassified and prosecuted for allegedly running an unlicensed money transmitting business. This bipartisan bill is a long-needed response to the DOJ's wrongful prosecutions of developers in the Tornado Cash and Samourai Wallet cases. We applaud this effort, and will continue to support and advocate for these necessary changes to the criminal code and for developer protections more broadly.

Save the date: The Coin Center Annual Dinner will be on October 6 at Gotham Hall in NYC. Info and sponsorships here: coincenter.org/dinner

Coin Center’s mission is to protect software developers and non-custodial, decentralized tools. Judged by that standard, we’re optimistic about where the current market structure draft stands. Companies and other organizations may have broader or different priorities.

Coin Center’s Top Policy Priorities for 2026 - Stop unjust prosecutions of non-custodial software developers - Protect Americans holding their own crypto - Update the tax code to protect against administrative burdens on users - Clarify securities and commodities law - Encourage privacy-preserving alternatives to traditional KYC/AML

Six Ways Congress Can Make Crypto Taxes Work for Everyday Users: 1. Adopt a De Minimis Personal Transaction Exemption 2. Forego the Wash Sale Rule 3. Consider Creating a Mark-to-Market Election 4. Clarify Block Reward Taxation 5. Repeal 6050I Reporting 6. Define “Readily Valued” Cryptocurrencies for Charitable Donations Read more: coincenter.org/six-ways-congr…

Happy to announce I've begun my role as Director of Research for @coincenter and will have the privilege to work and grow with a team I've looked up to for many years. Thank you to @valkenburgh for this amazing opportunity and to @NeerajKA for first introducing me to the team.

Tax-deductible giving is now possible at Coin Center. Learn more about the tax advantages available when donating to a 501(c)(3) non-profit. coincenter.org/tax-deductible…

Introducing 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐒𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧 speaker lineup✨ First up: Peter Van @Valkenburgh, Executive Director at @coincenter – a leading voice for privacy, inclusion, and sound crypto policies.

Coin Center has filed an amicus brief in the Peraire-Bueno prosecution. We oppose the government’s novel “honest validator” theory of fraud, a theory that would criminalize behavior that the Ethereum protocol itself permits. coincenter.org/amicus-brief-i…

Forcing the square peg that is traditional AML surveillance into the round hole of public stablecoin transactions creates a financial panopticon that's just as bad, if not worse, for American's privacy than a hypothetical CBDC could be. Read more in Coin Center's comment to Treasury coincenter.org/comment-of-coi…