Coinbase-backed Stand With Crypto has endorsed 32 House lawmakers seeking reelection in November after each supported the CLARITY Act during its passage through the chamber last year.

Stand With Crypto ties 32 endorsements to CLARITY vote

Reuters reported Monday that Stand With Crypto had selected 32 incumbent members of Congress for its latest endorsement round ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm elections.

All 32 lawmakers voted for the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act when the House passed the proposal in July 2025. The legislation would divide oversight of digital assets between the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission while setting rules for crypto exchanges and other market participants.

By using the House vote as a central test, the group has tied its election activity to a specific legislative record rather than party membership. Its latest list includes Republicans Tom Emmer of Minnesota and Bill Huizenga of Michigan, as well as Democrats Ritchie Torres of New York and Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey.

Stand With Crypto Executive Director Mason Lynaugh told Reuters that the organization wants to return lawmakers who supported the bill to Congress. The group plans to announce its Senate endorsements closer to Election Day.

“In 2024, we were very much proving that the crypto voter is real,” Lynaugh said.

“In 2026, we’re very much showing that we have the organizing capacity and that our advocates are a true voting bloc that can move the needle.”

Coinbase launched Stand With Crypto in 2023 to organize people who support digital asset legislation. Unlike a super political action committee, the organization says its election work centers on voter outreach and mobilization rather than large independent campaign expenditures.

The group currently claims more than 3 million registered U.S. advocates, up from the 2.7 million cited when Lynaugh discussed its campaign plans in May. At that event, crypto.news covered its midterm strategy, which initially included endorsements for six House incumbents.

Bipartisan list includes lawmakers in competitive races

Several lawmakers in the latest group are running in districts where the November result could be close, increasing the potential value of volunteer outreach and voter mobilization.

Arizona Republican Juan Ciscomani and Pennsylvania Republican Brian Fitzpatrick are among the endorsed members facing competitive contests, according to Reuters. Lynaugh said Stand With Crypto could become “the difference maker” in some of the races, though the group has not disclosed any forecast for their outcomes.

Huizenga, another member of the endorsed group, secured the Republican nomination in Michigan’s 4th Congressional District earlier in August. Defend American Jobs, the Republican-aligned affiliate of Fairshake, spent nearly $512,000 supporting him, according to campaign finance data compiled by Tech Influence Watch.

During the same round of primaries, several Fairshake-supported candidates advanced in Washington state. Democratic Representatives Suzan DelBene, Kim Schrier and Marilyn Strickland won their party primaries, while Republican Amanda McKinney also moved forward, as detailed in an Aug. 5 report on Fairshake-backed primary victories.

Torres has also received support from crypto-linked political groups during the election cycle. Protect Progress, Fairshake’s Democratic-aligned affiliate, spent about $1.5 million supporting his reelection campaign ahead of the New York primary, while Fellowship PAC reportedly added roughly $300,000 in advertising.

Stand With Crypto’s own polling, conducted with Impact Research, found that 59% of crypto owners do not reliably vote for one political party. Nearly half of respondents said they could support a candidate whose crypto position matched theirs even when they disagreed with the candidate on other subjects, according to the organization’s May presentation.

CLARITY Act delay raises the stakes for the next Congress

The House passed the CLARITY Act by a 294-134 vote in July 2025, but the proposal has remained held up in the Senate amid disputes over stablecoin rewards, decentralized finance oversight, anti-money laundering requirements and ethics restrictions involving government officials’ crypto holdings.

A Senate Banking Committee markup initially scheduled for Jan. 15 was postponed after Coinbase withdrew its support hours before the meeting. The company objected to parts of the draft, leaving senators without an agreement needed to move the legislation forward.

Alongside the Banking Committee’s work, the Senate Agriculture Committee must address sections involving the CFTC. The bill would then need to pass the full Senate, return to the House if senators change its text, and reach President Donald Trump for his signature.

Because most legislation requires 60 votes to overcome a Senate filibuster, Republicans would need Democratic support even if every Republican senator backed the proposal. A report examining the CLARITY Act’s midterm risk noted that the congressional calendar has narrowed as lawmakers approach the election.

The proposal remains important for U.S. crypto companies and investors because it would set federal rules for when digital assets fall under SEC or CFTC oversight. Supporters say the division would reduce uncertainty over trading, registration and token classifications, while disagreements in the Senate show that lawmakers have not settled the bill’s consumer protection, ethics and financial crime provisions.

Stand With Crypto’s endorsements focus on House members who supported the existing text, but the next Congress could revisit the proposal if the Senate does not finish work before the current session ends. Any unfinished bill would have to be introduced again after the new Congress takes office in January 2027.

Crypto election spending approaches $200 million

Political spending by the digital asset industry has continued alongside the grassroots campaign. Reuters estimated that crypto-linked groups have committed close to $200 million during the 2026 midterm cycle, with much of the money flowing through Fairshake and its affiliated committees.

Consumer advocacy group Public Citizen separately calculated that crypto companies had contributed about $189 million to the 2026 election cycle by the end of June. Its report said the amount represented roughly 37% of corporate political contributions tracked during the period and had already surpassed the industry’s estimated $170 million in 2024 spending.

According to Public Citizen, Fairshake had spent more than $82 million during the current cycle, while MAGA Inc., a super PAC largely supported by Crypto.com, had spent more than $56 million. Public filings cited in the report showed Fairshake, Defend American Jobs, and Protect Progress held a combined $193 million in January.

During the 2024 elections, crypto groups supported congressional candidates across party lines, many of whom won their races. Congress later passed the GENIUS Act, creating a federal framework for payment stablecoins and handing the industry one of its main legislative victories.

Stand With Crypto has taken a different role from the major super PACs by organizing advocates and publicly rating candidates’ policy records. The organization endorsed six incumbents in March before adding the latest 32 House members, and Lynaugh said its Senate slate would be released closer to Election Day.

On-chain investigator ZachXBT alleged this morning that BitcoinIRA and iTrustCapital suffered data breaches this year without disclosing the incidents to their customers.

ZachXBT claimed that threat actors accessed personal details from the crypto retirement services, such as customers’ portfolio holdings, banking details, custodian details, and verification status.

Once he was confident that the breaches occurred, the researcher emailed both platforms on August 21. After three days of no response, he published the alert publicly today.

iTrustCapital responded to the allegations via X, writing, “ITrustCapital has not experienced and is not aware of any recent third-party vendor data breaches affecting our platform.

“Our multi-step closed-loop system is designed to mitigate losses for clients who may be targeted, phished, scammed or compromised at a personal level.”

BitcoiIRA hadn’t responded publicly by publication time.

Who are the businesses involved?

Chris Kline, Johannes Haze, and Camilo Concha started BitcoinIRA a decade ago out of Sherman Oaks, California, according to a BBB business listing. 

The company markets itself as the ‘original’ service to hold bitcoin (BTC) inside a retirement account and it has claimed more than $14 billion worth of assets.

iTrustCapital, meanwhile was founded in 2018 by Todd Southwick and Blake Skadron. It was based in Long Beach, California when it announced a $125 million Series A round in January 2022. 

The company has claimed to have processed more than $10 billion in cumulative transactions across roughly 53,000 accounts, and iTrustCapital’s own homepage now claims more than $17 billion worth of transactions across over 300,000 accounts.

Germany has extended its lead in the EU’s MiCA licensing rollout, after ESMA added six more crypto asset service providers registered under the Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation. With the latest update, the total number of authorized CASPs across the European Union now stands at 331.

In the previous ESMA register update on Aug. 12, the additions were also reflected in the count. The most recent change, released on Friday, specifically increases Germany’s share by adding six German cooperative banks to the list of licensed entities.

Key takeaways

• ESMA’s MiCA register now lists 331 authorized crypto asset service providers (CASPs) after Friday’s update.
• Germany added six new CASPs, all cooperative banks, bringing the country’s total to 79.
• Germany leads the EU standings by CASPs, ahead of France (35) and the Netherlands (29).
• ESMA’s non-CASPs datasets tied to asset-referenced tokens (ART), electronic money tokens (EMT), and non-compliant entities were unchanged.

ESMA adds six German cooperative banks

According to ESMA’s MiCA register update published on Friday, six entities were added to the list of authorized crypto asset service providers. Compared with the Aug. 12 update, each of the newly registered providers is German and operates as a cooperative bank:

• Raiffeisenbank Aidlingen
• Ihre Volksbank
• VR-Bank Mittelfranken Mitte
• Volksbank Euskirchen
• VR Bank Ried-Überwald
• Volksbank Backnang

This expansion reinforces Germany’s position as the most active EU market in terms of MiCA authorizations, at a time when investors are watching which jurisdictions are moving fastest through the new regulatory framework.

Germany’s MiCA authorization gap widens

Germany now accounts for 79 CASPs under MiCA, compared with France’s 35 and the Netherlands’ 29, based on ESMA figures previously reviewed by Cointelegraph. The country’s lead has also been building quickly: Germany’s total stood at 57 CASPs in late June, when Cointelegraph reported that Germany was already ahead in the number of authorizations.

The pace matters because MiCA authorization is a prerequisite for compliant crypto-asset services across the EU. A larger number of authorized providers can translate into broader availability of regulated services for users in that country and potentially more competition among licensed entities.

Why Germany has more CASPs than its peers

Germany’s higher authorization count reflects structural features of its financial sector and how existing regulatory pathways mapped onto MiCA’s implementation. In June, Germany’s Federal Financial Supervisory Authority (BaFin) told Cointelegraph that the high number of MiCA authorizations is partly due to the country’s large financial industry and the number of credit institutions that are eligible to offer crypto services.

BaFin also pointed to Germany’s earlier national licensing regime. The regulator said that this established framework allowed some CASPs to benefit from simplified authorization procedures during the transition to MiCA, helping explain why the authorizations in Germany accelerated earlier and at a higher volume than in some other jurisdictions.

Token-category registers remain stable

Beyond the CASP register, ESMA maintains datasets related to specific token classifications. In the Friday update, those token-category datasets did not change: the asset-referenced token (ART) register remained empty, the electronic money token (EMT) register continued to show 43 entries, and the list of non-compliant entities stayed at 167.

For market participants, these static figures are useful context. While the number of licensed service providers is climbing, the token-category registers indicate that the regulatory focus is still separating the licensing progress of service firms from the readiness and reporting status of token issuers or categories tracked under ESMA’s framework.

Readers should watch the next ESMA register releases for whether Germany’s additions continue at the same pace, and whether any movement appears in the ART and non-compliant entity datasets—areas that remain unchanged despite growth in CASP authorizations.

Stand With Crypto, an advocacy group launched by Coinbase in 2023, has endorsed 32 candidates for U.S. House races ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The group says the move is designed to shape federal digital-asset policy by backing lawmakers it views as credible champions for the sector.

In a notice issued Monday, Stand With Crypto framed its candidate slate as part of a broader effort to mobilize “crypto voters,” arguing that digital-asset issues may become more influential in close races where candidates seek support beyond traditional political constituencies. The organization’s executive director, Mason Lynaugh, said the timing reflects what he called an inflection point for crypto policy in Washington.

Key takeaways

• Stand With Crypto endorsed 32 House candidates for the 2026 midterms based on their stated digital asset policy views.
• The group is targeting competitive races where it believes its influence is most likely to matter for outcomes.
• Stand With Crypto argues crypto voters are becoming a durable bloc that can affect tight congressional elections.
• The push lands as the Senate’s next steps on the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act remain uncertain.

A targeted endorsement strategy for 2026

Stand With Crypto said its slate is intended to influence how digital assets are regulated and overseen at the federal level. The group did not present a full list of criteria in the notice excerpt, but it characterized the backed candidates as “proven digital asset policy champions” and emphasized its focus on races most likely to swing based on its outreach.

The endorsement announcement follows earlier activity from the organization. It previously unveiled initial endorsements in March as part of its broader midterm plan, describing a battleground approach meant to help candidates move from their primaries into the November election. According to the notice, that initial tranche included three Republicans and three Democrats who advanced to the general election.

While the group’s messaging is political, it arrives in a wider environment where crypto-linked spending has increasingly intersected with U.S. election cycles. During the 2024 election cycle, organizations and political action committees backed by crypto companies spent more than $170 million to support candidates they believed would be favorable to the industry, and many of those candidates won, according to the notice.

Why the midterms matter for crypto legislation

Stand With Crypto’s endorsement push is anchored to the argument that congressional elections can determine whether major crypto policy proposals move forward. The group pointed to the 2025 flow of pro-crypto candidates into Congress, claiming that more than 270 such candidates were sent to Washington in 2025—an outcome the organization linked to potential progress on legislation, including the GENIUS Act, which concerns stablecoin-related frameworks.

For investors and builders, the practical implication is straightforward: crypto policy is still shaped less by broad market narratives and more by whether specific bills gain traction in both chambers and the extent to which lawmakers treat digital-asset regulation as a near-term priority. In that sense, the group’s focus on competitive House seats fits a common legislative dynamic—narrow margins in the House can change committee influence and voting outcomes.

At the same time, the organization’s claims about crypto voters being a “durable, motivated” bloc reflect a strategic bet: that voters attentive to digital-asset issues may be sufficiently organized to affect campaigns even when crypto does not dominate national headlines.

CLARITY still faces timing risk in the Senate

Separate from the endorsement slate, the legislative timeline for one of the sector’s key policy proposals remains a live issue. The Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act, which the House passed with bipartisan support in July 2025, is still pending in the Senate. The notice highlights that Senate discussions have included topics such as ethics requirements, tokenization provisions, and stablecoin rewards.

Under the current schedule described in the coverage, CLARITY is expected to be considered through a cloture motion once the Senate returns from recess on Sept. 15. However, the Senate would have only 14 days in session before breaking ahead of the November election, creating a narrow window for the bill to advance.

After the midterms, the Senate would have another 22 days before 2027 to bring CLARITY back to the chamber. If the bill reaches final action in that later period, it could then return to the House and ultimately move to the president for approval.

The notice also points to political pressure on the Senate in the immediate term. Earlier coverage cited the president, Donald Trump, standing alongside several crypto CEOs and executives to urge lawmakers to pass what he described as a “fair version” of CLARITY. That push, however, may face credibility hurdles given the broader public scrutiny around Trump’s financial ties to the industry, with a cited poll showing a majority of Americans calling those crypto investments not “appropriate.”

For market participants, these dynamics matter because the Senate calendar and the bill’s handling—whether it can be processed in time to clear major procedural hurdles—could determine whether a clearer regulatory structure arrives before or after the 2026 election cycle. Even when legislation is broadly supported, procedural delays can push outcomes into later sessions and lengthen uncertainty around implementation.

What to watch next

As the 2026 midterm clock moves forward, attention should track not only which candidates Stand With Crypto supports, but also whether CLARITY can progress through the Senate in the limited post-recess window. The biggest open question for the next phase of U.S. crypto regulation remains timing: whether lawmakers can convert the legislative momentum already shown in the House into Senate action before politics and procedural constraints reshuffle priorities.

Bringing Together HR Leaders to Shape the Modern Workplace in South Africa

16th September 2026 | Johannesburg, South Africa

Johannesburg, 3 July 2026: As South Africa’s business landscape evolves in response to rapid technological advancement, changing workforce expectations, and increasing economic complexity, the role of Human Resources has become more strategic than ever before. Today, HR leaders are responsible for workforce planning, leadership development, employee experience, skills transformation, and building organisational capability while aligning people strategies with business priorities.

Recognizing the critical role of HR in shaping the evolving workforce, Exito Media Concepts, a global B2B events organiser, announces the 5th Edition of HR World Summit South Africa 2026, taking place on 16 September 2026 at Focus Rooms – Universe, Johannesburg. Designed as a platform for industry discussions and networking, the summit will bring together more than 200 CHROs, HR Directors, People & Culture Leaders, Talent Acquisition Heads, Learning & Development Executives, Employee Experience Specialists, business leaders, and solution providers to discuss workforce planning, leadership, talent strategy, and the future of work.

Through keynote presentations, panel discussions, fireside conversations, and interactive sessions, attendees will explore strategies for addressing today’s workforce challenges and preparing organisations for AI adoption, evolving workforce expectations, and future skills requirements. The summit offers HR leaders an opportunity to exchange ideas, build strategic partnerships, and explore current workforce trends.

Shaping the Next Chapter of Work and Leadership

organisations across South Africa are adapting to rapid technological advances, changing workforce expectations, and shifting business priorities. Technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and data-driven decision-making are redefining how organisations operate, compete, and manage their workforces.

To remain adaptable, organisations must rethink traditional approaches to leadership, talent management, learning, employee wellbeing, and organisational culture. HR leaders are integrating AI into HR processes, strengthening employee engagement, expanding learning and development initiatives, and building skills needed for an increasingly digital workplace. The summit agenda addresses these priorities through industry discussions, case studies, and real-world examples.

The agenda focuses on the key workforce priorities shaping HR strategy across South African organisations.

Key discussions will include:

• Navigating Work, Leadership, and Innovation in a rapidly changing business landscape
• Exploring the role of Artificial Intelligence in HR and workforce planning
• Strengthening employee wellbeing and workforce engagement
• Building skilled workforces for an evolving world of work
• Developing strategies to attract, retain, and develop talent
• Building a culture of continuous learning and skills development
• Learning from CHROs on people, culture, and change management
• Creating inclusive workplaces that support innovation and organisational performance

These discussions will provide practical insights, case studies, and proven approaches that HR leaders can apply across talent management, leadership development, employee experience, and workforce planning.

A Platform Where HR Leaders Shape the Future

The summit will provide delegates with practical examples of workforce transformation, leadership development, HR technology adoption, and people strategy from organisations across

South Africa.

Alongside the conference sessions, attendees will have opportunities to network with peers, connect with solution providers, and exchange real-world insights on workforce trends and workforce challenges.

Learn from South Africa’s Leading HR Visionaries

The speaker lineup includes HR leaders from organisations including:

• Tebogo Maenetja- Chief Human Resources Officer, MTN
• Michele Seroke- Chief Human Resources Officer, Mediclinic
• Nomsa Lewisa- CIO Group Human Technology, First Rand
• Mikateko Nkuna- Valoyi, Managing Executive: Talent & Culture, Vodacom
• Lerato Thelejane- Executive: People Change Readiness and Enablement, Absa Group

Event Details

Event: 5th Edition of HR World Summit South Africa 2026

Date: 16 September 2026

Time: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm

Venue: Focus Rooms – Universe, Johannesburg, South Africa

About Exito Media Concepts

Exito Media Concepts is a global B2B events organisation with over 16 years of experience delivering conferences across technology, cybersecurity, digital transformation, healthcare, finance, human resources, and other industries.

Exito brings together business leaders, solution providers, and decision-makers through conferences focused on knowledge sharing, collaboration, and executive networking.

For more details on the HR World Summit South Africa 2026, visit:

https://exito-e.com/hrworldsummit/south-africa/

For Media Enquiries, please contact:

Ashrith Shetty | Senior Marketing & PR Executive, Exito Media Concepts Email: ashrith.shetty@exito-e.com

Stand With Crypto, an advocacy organization launched by Coinbase in 2023, endorsed 32 candidates for House of Representatives seats ahead of the 2026 US midterm elections based on their digital asset policy views. 

In a Monday notice, Stand With Crypto said its slate of 32 candidates for the 2026 midterm elections was part of efforts to influence digital asset policy in the federal government. The organization said it had endorsed politicians who were “proven digital asset policy champions,” also targeting competitive races “where Stand With Crypto advocate numbers are most likely to influence outcomes.”

“Crypto Voters have become a durable, motivated voting bloc, which has the potential to swing key congressional races in the midterms,” said Stand With Crypto executive director Mason Lynaugh, adding:

“The midterms come at a key inflection point for crypto policy in Washington, D.C. As candidates from both parties are trying to reach voters outside of more traditional constituencies, they overlook Crypto Voters at their own peril.”

The move comes as some experts expect crypto policy to be a potential swing issue for voters in many close elections. Stand With Crypto announced six candidates for its first group of endorsements in March — three Republicans and three Democrats — all of whom advanced from their primaries to compete in the November election.

Related: Ripple- and Coinbase-funded PAC spends $2M in Florida race with little mention of crypto

During the 2024 election cycle, organizations and political action committees (PACs) backed by crypto companies spent more than $170 million supporting candidates they considered to favor the industry, many of whom went on to win their races. Stand With Crypto said that more than 270 “pro-crypto“ candidates were sent to Congress in 2025, potentially influencing votes on legislation like the Guiding and Establishing National Innovation for US Stablecoins (GENIUS) Act.

CLARITY vote still waiting for Senate’s return

The makeup of the next US Congress in both the House and Senate could potentially impact whether a comprehensive crypto market structure bill becomes law. Although the House passed the Digital Asset Market Clarity (CLARITY) Act with bipartisan support in July 2025, the Senate’s consideration of the legislation has been marked by discussions over ethics, tokenization and stablecoin rewards.

CLARITY is scheduled for a cloture motion once the Senate returns from recess on Sept. 15, but the chamber will only have 14 days in session before breaking before the November election. After the midterms, the Senate will have another 22 days before 2027 to return the bill to the House, after which it could then head to the president’s desk for approval.

Last week, President Donald Trump stood alongside several crypto CEOs and executives, urging the Senate to pass a “fair version” of CLARITY. However, the Trump family’s financial ties to the industry could complicate a potential vote, with a majority of Americans calling the crypto investments not “appropriate” in a recent poll.

Magazine: Bitget CEO isn’t buying the Bitcoin rally — She’s waiting for $50K