Kristin Smith is an American businesswoman and the founding executive director of the Blockchain Association, the Washington D.C.-based trade association that is focused on blockchain and cryptocurrency issues.
Smith obtained a Master of Business Administration degree in finance and corporate finance. She started a career at Washington D.C.’s Capitol Hill, where she served as a senator and congressional aide for nearly 10 years.
Before becoming involved in the blockchain industry, she focused on technology policy. Smith had a significant role in helping blockchain and technology companies achieve their public policy objectives in Washington.
She has been executive director of the Blockchain Association since 2018 and became widely recognized as one of the most respected crypto and financial innovation policy leaders. She is also a frequent commentator on newspapers and TV, with regular appearances on CNBC, Yahoo Finance, Fox Nation and Cheddar. She was featured on Fortune’s 2020 40 Under 40 list.
Smith became a member of the board of directors of Filecoin Foundation for the Decentralized Web. The foundation aims at building an internet open to everyone by coordinating and supporting the creation and development of open-source software and protocols for decentralized data storage and retrieval networks. It provides resources and education to help the ecosystem thrive.
In 2021, the activity around the Blockchain Association intensified with the mission to improve the public policy environment so that crypto networks can prosper in the United States.
Smith sets the association’s public policy strategy and leads engagement with industry and outreach to policymakers, creating a link between the latter and regulators. Her activity with the Blockchain Association meant that reputable industry players like eToro, Digital Currency Group, Kraken and Greyscale were added as members to help regulate an industry that is still in its infancy when it comes to customer and business protection.
Smith was instrumental in sounding the alarm on the Treasury Department’s proposal to limit access to self-hosted wallets and has written to the treasury on the subject.
Smith’s year started with a new essential collaboration with SkyBridge Capital as an independent director. She was also one of the preeminent guests at CES 2022 in Las Vegas, where she attended several panels on cryptocurrency regulation.
The Blockchain Association ended the year with doubled memberships and quadrupled funding. In 2022, Smith is expected to grow the trade association even further and make an increasing impact on the cryptocurrency landscape, with more blockchain businesses joining it.
One of the crucial topics Smith was involved with during 2021 and will continue in 2022 is promoting the value of blockchain and cryptocurrency in Washington. One survey stated that 62% of Americans support cryptocurrencies and their potential, and believe the U.S. government should encourage the development of the crypto industry for the country to remain globally competitive.
Strong in this belief, Smith will keep promoting cryptocurrency among senators and house representatives who, contrary to the general public, are the hardest to convince that the industry is beneficial for the whole country.
Adoption, Law & Politics
New York University, MBA
Filecoin Foundation
