A new advocacy organization has launched a national advertising campaign opposing the inclusion of decentralized finance (DeFi) in the upcoming cryptocurrency legislation.
The effort intensifies a lobbying battle just days before a critical Senate vote on the crypto market structure bill.
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‘Investors for Transparency’ Group Attacks DeFi While Hiding Donors
The group, calling itself “Investors for Transparency,” began airing spots during prime-time programming on Fox News.
The advertisements urge viewers to pressure senators to exclude DeFi from the favorable regulatory framework expected in the market structure bill scheduled for a markup by the Senate Banking Committee on January 16.
The campaign has sparked immediate backlash from cryptocurrency industry leaders and pro-crypto lawmakers. They argue the group represents traditional financial interests seeking to stifle competition.
US lawmaker Warren Davidson criticized the campaign as a defensive measure by established institutions to maintain the status quo.
“Decentralized Finance (DeFi) scares big financial institutions and the surveillance state. With DeFi you could cut out middlemen, lower costs, protect privacy… In short, DeFi helps defend freedom so they want to kill it,” he stated.
Notably, industry participants also pointed to the irony of the advocacy group’s name.
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While its website states a mission to build a “golden age of durable financial innovation” based on trust and integrity, the organization does not disclose its funding sources or leadership team.
“A group named ‘Investors for Transparency’ is running public ads + lobbying to kill defi, the most transparent financial system on earth. Ironic but unsurprising, their site does not disclose who funds them,” Hayden Adams, the founder of DeFi protocol Uniswap, said.
Meanwhile, this controversy highlights a central tension in the proposed legislation. It centers on how existing financial rules can be applied to software protocols that operate without centralized intermediaries.
While the bill aims to create a cohesive framework for digital asset exchanges, custody, and classification, DeFi has remained a sticking point.
Regulators argue the sector needs strict oversight to prevent money laundering, while developers argue that applying bank-style compliance to code is technically impossible.
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Tim Scott, who is shepherding the legislation, has stated that the new rules aim to balance innovation with security.
Scott noted that the framework is designed to give entrepreneurs confidence to build in America while making it “difficult for criminals and foreign adversaries” to exploit the technology.
Industry experts expect the committee to release the final text regarding DeFi provisions shortly before its vote.