The US Is Killing Crypto by Trying to Regulate It

For years, launching a crypto project in the United States has been a maze of uncertainty. Legal ambiguity and a hostile regulatory environment have driven founders offshore, turning places like Switzerland and the Cayman Islands into global hubs for blockchain innovation.

With Trump’s election, things finally started to change, with a US administration openly declaring its intention to be crypto-friendly and welcoming the industry to set up shop in the States.

Yet, despite the administration’s stated enthusiasm for crypto, nothing concrete has changed so far. It’s still nearly impossible to launch a crypto project in the US, and the government’s actions continue to drive founders away.

This isn’t for lack of trying on the part of crypto founders. Nearly every founder is aware of the legal and regulatory risks, and many are actively seeking to cooperate with the government. But, unfortunately, the government isn’t making it easy.

Instead of offering clear guidance, US regulatory agencies continue to offer nothing but vague threats and “regulation by enforcement” lawsuits. They want America to be a leader in crypto, but, even under the Trump administration, they aren’t taking action to create the conditions that would make that happen.

So while the administration is talking up its desire to be crypto-friendly, its actions are having the opposite effect, slowly killing the crypto industry in America.

Every crypto project faces the same fundamental problem: Achieving decentralization is critical to avoid regulatory scrutiny, but until a project launches its token, a degree of centralization is unavoidable.

A project must have a core team that builds the product, raises funds, manages legal affairs, and performs other tasks essential for the project’s survival. This team necessarily exercises a high degree of control over the project’s destiny during the early stages of growth.

However, if a project remains centralized, it faces immediate threat from the SEC, which will likely classify its token as a security under the outdated Howey test. The logic here is self-defeating. Projects can’t decentralize without launching a token, but launching a token in the US instantly puts them in the SEC’s crosshairs.

This isn’t just a theoretical issue; it has real consequences. Liquidity providers, essential for all new token launches, won’t engage with US-based projects because they assume their tokens will be classified as securities. Centralized exchanges refuse to list tokens issued from US entities for the same reason. Even decentralized exchanges face pressure from their legal teams to avoid actively seeding liquidity for American projects.

The result? US founders are boxed out of the global crypto economy before they even get started. They can’t raise fiat to fund development, and they can’t launch a token to decentralize the project and begin community participation. Instead, they are forced to wind down their operations and seek opportunities in offshore jurisdictions.

This regulatory failure has spawned an entire cottage industry of offshore legal firms specializing in setting up token-issuing entities. With its FINMA no-action letter system, Switzerland has become a hotbed for crypto projects because it offers one of the few structured ways to get legal clarity on a token’s classification. The Cayman Islands and British Virgin Islands have also established themselves as crypto safe havens, providing flexible corporate structures that allow projects to operate with far less regulatory risk.

Recently, a report by the US Treasury highlighted the threat posed by Huobi to the US financial system due to its alleged facilitation of North Korean founders laundering funds through the exchange. While the report's claims of Huobi's involvement in North Korean money laundering are certainly concerning, it's ironic that the Treasury is now cutting off Huobi over ties to crypto crime.

The absurdity is that the actual work — the development, the hiring, the innovation — still happens in the US. The token issuance gets pushed offshore via “Associations” and “Foundations,” which serve non-profits operating independently of US-based development shops. American founders are forced to funnel money into unnecessary legal fees, overseas operators, and shell foundations to avoid the inevitable crackdown from US regulators.

This isn’t just bad for crypto; it’s bad for America. The US is hemorrhaging talent, investment, and influence to less myopic jurisdictions. It’s no secret that the US is losing the global crypto race, and until it can be solved, the gap will continue to widen.

The US has spent years fumbling crypto policy, and now, even with an administration that claims to be pro-crypto, it’s still failing to deliver real change.

Some have suggested that the US should offer capital gains tax exemptions on crypto to encourage founders to stay in the States. But this does little to help. It’s not the tax implications that are driving founders offshore; it’s the threat of immediate regulatory action and the lack of clear guidance.

If the US truly wants to be a leader in crypto, it also must take the lead in