The Chamber of Digital Commerce is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association that lobbies for the advancement of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. The association was founded in 2014 by Perianne Boring, a former White House intern in the Obama administration and staffer to a Republican member of Congress. The organization lobbies congress and the executive branch regarding the advancement and regulation of blockchain technology and hosts the annual DC Blockchain Summit. The organization has over 200 members including large technology, cryptocurrency, and consulting companies such as Accenture, Cisco, Microsoft, IBM, Fidelity, Wells Fargo, Digital Asset, Bitpay, and TrustToken. ^{1 2}

Background

Chamber of Digital Commerce was founded in 2014 by Perianne Boring, a former White House intern in the Obama administration and staffer to a Republican member of Congress who also worked as a host of a finance show on RT America, the now-defunct U.S. news network funded by the Russian government. The organization promotes the adoption of blockchain technology and use of “digital assets” such as cryptocurrency. ³

Policy Stances

The Chamber of Digital Commerce lobbies for a variety of policies friendly to blockchain and cryptocurrency companies. The group’s “National Action Plan for Blockchain” calls for government investment in encouraging development of blockchain technologies by the private sector and calls for a “light touch regulatory approach” by the government in regulating blockchain and cryptocurrency companies. The plan also endorses the proposed Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act (ESIGN Act) and state Uniform Electronic Transactions Acts (UETA) and endorses the adoption of blockchain technologies by government agencies in areas including cyber security, financial services, insurance, supply chain management, and intellectual property protection. ⁴

A 2021 open letter from the organization to President Joe Biden called on the president to take executive action on blockchain and cryptocurrency to “Establish a national action plan for blockchain; Increase regulatory clarity for digital tokens; Promote tax policy for virtual currency that supports informed compliance; and Use blockchain technology to enhance anti-money laundering and sanctions compliance, and encourage responsible industry growth.” ⁵

The organization has opposed efforts by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to classify cryptocurrencies as securities. The group filed an Amicus Brief in a 2023 SEC insider trading prosecution against former Coinbase workers that argued that the case should be dismissed because it represented an expansion of the SEC’s “regulation by enforcement” campaign and seeks to characterize secondary market transactions as securities transactions. ⁶

DC Blockchain Summit

The Chamber of Digital Commerce also hosts the annual DC Blockchain Summit in Washington D.C. that features keynote speeches and panels around crypto currency and blockchain regulation, the 2023 summit featured Congressman Tom Emmer, the House Majority Whip who is also the Co-Chair of the Congressional Blockchain Caucus. The summit also featured commissioners on the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and representatives from Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, the Department of Justice, Office of the National Cyber Director, and the Treasury Department. ⁷

Members

Members of the Chamber of Digital Commerce include Accenture, Cisco, Microsoft, IBM, Fidelity, Wells Fargo, Digital Asset, Bitpay, Visa, State Street, KPMG, Ernst and Young, Fireblocks, Jane Street, and TrustToken. The group’s membership also includes large corporate law firms such as Baker Hostetler, Cooley, DLA Piper, and Steptoe and Johnson. ⁸

Leadership

Chamber of Digital Commerce is led by Perianne Boring, a former White House intern in the Obama administration and staffer to former U.S. Rep. Dennis Ross (R-FL) who later worked as a host of a finance show on RT America, a now-defunct U.S. news network funded by the Russian government. Boring also teaches a blockchain course at Georgetown University. She has been described as “one of the richest women in the crypto industry” by trade publication Coin Telegraph. ^{9 10}

1. “Perianne Boring.” Forbes. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.forbes.com/profile/perianne-boring/?sh=24fa56a39f34
2. “Vision.” Digital Chamber of Commerce. Accessed March 24, 2023. https://digitalchamber.org/about/vision/
3. “Vision.” Digital Chamber of Commerce. Accessed March 24, 2023. https://digitalchamber.org/about/vision/
4. “National Action Plan for Blockchain.” Digital Chamber of Commerce. Accessed March 24, 2023. https://d3h0qzni6h08fz.cloudfront.net/National-Action-Plan-for-Blockchain.pdf
5. “Biden Harris Letter.” Digital Chamber of Commerce. 2021. Accessed March 24, 2023. https://d3h0qzni6h08fz.cloudfront.net/Biden-Harris-Letter.pdf
6. Crawford, Luisa. “Chamber of Digital Commerce argues the SEC is overstepping its authority.” Blockchain News. February 26, 2023. Accessed March 24, 2023. https://blockchain.news/news/chamber-of-digital-commerce-argues-the-sec-is-overstepping-its-authority
7. “Agenda.” DC Blockchain Summit. 2023. Accessed March 24, 2023. https://dcblockchainsummit.com/agenda/
8. “Perianne Boring.” Forbes. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.forbes.com/profile/perianne-boring/?sh=24fa56a39f34
9. “Perianne Boring.” Coin Telegraph. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://cointelegraph.com/tags/perianne-boring
10. “Perianne Boring.” LinkedIn Profile. Accessed March 25, 2023. https://www.linkedin.com/in/perianne-boring-43363991/details/experience/?profileUrn=urn%3Ali%3Afsd_profile%3AACoAABN-SicBxc_vvSXPJITaLjdhxoE7lE3EI_E