Paradigm has added two prominent figures to its roster of policy experts.

Key points:

• Paradigm officials said the new policy committee is designed to provide internal guidance as the midterm elections take over the political landscape.
• Next year is expected to mark the most important moment for U.S. crypto legislation to date, as Congress prepares to mention stablecoins and potentially cement the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as the primary regulator for crypto trading.
• Justin Slaughter, policy director at Paradigm, said the group will meet at least once a month to develop a game plan for influencing future U.S. cryptocurrency policy. 

Former U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan will join former leaders of the bipartisan Congressional Campaign Committee to form a Paradigm panel to help shape cryptocurrency policy in Washington, company officials said.

The crypto venture capital firm has increased operations in Washington this year, and Paradigm officials said the new policy committee is designed to provide internal guidance as the midterm elections take over the political landscape. Next year is expected to mark the most important moment for U.S. crypto legislation to date, as Congress prepares to mention stablecoins and potentially cement the Commodity Futures Trading Commission as the primary regulator for crypto trading.

"Cryptocurrency - Web3 - has the advantage of being nonpartisan right now," said MP Parker Poling, a partner at Harbinger Strategies. Pauline is the executive director of the National Republican Congressional Committee and chief of staff to Rep. Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.), who is widely expected to become chairman of the House Financial Services Committee next year. “People don’t really have a mature perspective and neural pathways for cryptocurrencies.”

Poling told that crypto legislation could be on a "very short list" of projects that could gain traction during a session without either party dominating Washington. She said she's not necessarily an expert on digital assets, but understands Washington and politics so she can help bridge the gap on Capitol Hill, where "very few members really understand cryptocurrencies."

Ryan joined Gov. Mitt Romney's 2012 vice presidential nominee as chairman of the party's campaign committee, along with former Democratic congressman Steve Israel from New York. Makan Delrahim, former U.S. Assistant Attorney General in the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice; Georgetown University professor Chris Brummer founded DC Fintech Week; Coalition to Protect Voters, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and National Bankers Association Current and former officials.

Justin Slaughter, policy director at Paradigm, said the group will meet at least once a month to develop a game plan for influencing future U.S. cryptocurrency policy. On November 16th, Paradigm will also host a hands-on crypto education conference for policymakers in Washington, where Ryan will speak.

"Next year could be a big year for crypto politics," Slaughter said. He said it was important to prepare an advisory group with particularly broad experience for this. "We hope this proposal reflects all the myriad of things involved in encryption."

Other major cryptocurrency firms have taken similar steps, including Binance, which announced a global policy group in September. Binance has hired Max Baucus, the former chairman of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee and ambassador to China, to lead a board of prominent former government officials, including David Wright, former secretary general of the International Organization of Securities Commissions.