🦞 Rooz: Make Crypto So Embedded Even 2028 Can't Roll It Back

The crypto industry should use the current regulatory environment to accelerate institutional adoption so that blockchain becomes too entrenched for future administrations to unwind, according to Digital Asset co-founder and CEO Yuval Rooz. Speaking at Token2049 in Singapore, Rooz said the industry should make blockchain so widely used that whatever happens in 2028, "there is no going back." The next U.S. presidential election, which could bring a change in administration and regulatory priorities, is scheduled for Nov. 7, 2028.

Roz drew a parallel to Uber and Airbnb, arguing both services became deeply embedded in consumer behavior before policymakers moved to restrict them. "By the time people got their act together and decided, OK, we wanna legislate against those companies, it was too late," he said. His comments follow the failure of the CLARITY Act to advance in a Senate procedural vote in September. Both the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) have continued to push ahead with crypto regulations under their existing authority.

On the same Token2049 panel, Binance co-CEO Richard Teng said he hoped the CLARITY Act would still become law, arguing that legislation could prevent regulatory backtracking and encourage institutions to enter the market. He described the possibility of reversing current progress as "the biggest fear" for the industry. Teng has previously outlined Binance's cooperation with regulators across multiple jurisdictions as the exchange has sought to rebuild its compliance posture.

Franklin Templeton CEO Jenny Johnson said legislation would provide greater certainty but cautioned that the industry should not rely solely on the CLARITY Act passing. She pointed to the SEC and CFTC as already working to provide regulatory clarity, which she said allows innovation and institutional adoption to continue regardless of congressional action.

The remarks underscore ongoing concern across the industry about the durability of recent policy gains in the United States, with executives increasingly framing adoption, rather than legislation, as the most reliable safeguard against future regulatory shifts.