“The goal is for these sessions to be as informative as they are entertaining, if not more so. Bring your notebooks.”
That’s CoinDesk’s Nikhilesh De setting the tone for what looks like the densest policy agenda Consensus has ever assembled. Miami’s conference kicks off Tuesday, May 6, and the real action lands Thursday with an eight-hour Policy Summit that crams DeFi security debates, IRS enforcement previews, and midterm election war-chest analysis into a single marathon day.
If you’ve followed crypto regulation this year, you already know the landscape has shifted. The SEC and CFTC signed their historic MOU in March, Wall Street players are showing up in force as tokenization moves from pilot to production, and lobbying groups are mobilizing ahead of November’s midterms. Consensus 2026 is where all those threads collide.
Tuesday Opens With Tax Reform and Legislative Process
Congressman Steven Horsford takes the stage at 10:35 a.m. ET to discuss his Parity Act, legislation aimed at overhauling how crypto taxes are handled. The bill has drawn attention from traders frustrated by the current wash-sale ambiguity and cost-basis headaches that come with decentralized exchange activity.
Half an hour later, a panel of current and former Congressional staffers will explain the unglamorous but critical work of actually drafting legislation. This isn’t a talking-points session. The panel promises a practical walkthrough of how the general public and interested parties can engage with the process, something most crypto advocates still don’t do effectively.
The afternoon brings Brian Klein, a Cooley LLP partner who’s become a fixture in high-profile crypto defense cases. Klein will discuss the Tornado Cash developer Roman Storm trial and what’s changed as a new trial looms. That case remains a bellwether for how courts treat open-source protocol developers, and Klein’s insights should clarify the shifting legal ground.
CFTC Chairman Mike Selig closes out Tuesday with a fireside chat. Given that the CFTC has been battling state regulators over prediction markets and asserting broader jurisdiction over digital assets, Selig’s comments will be dissected for signals about the agency’s next moves.
Wednesday Brings Senators, Bermuda’s Premier, and Trump Family Executives
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand leads off Wednesday at 9:45 a.m. ET. She’s been one of the more active legislators on crypto frameworks, and her session should preview where stablecoin and market-structure bills stand heading into the midterms.
Bermuda Premier David Burt and Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal follow at 10:25 a.m. ET. The session focuses on Bermuda’s strategy for incorporating digital assets, a topic that’s grown more relevant as U.S. firms weigh offshore licensing options. Coinbase has been vocal about regulatory clarity, and Grewal’s perspective on what Bermuda gets right (or doesn’t) should be instructive.
A 10:50 a.m. ET panel brings together Blockchain Association CEO Summer Mersinger, Solana Policy Institute CEO Kristin Smith, and Jito Labs COO/CLO Rebecca Rettig. The discussion centers on how the crypto industry is being perceived among policymakers. With Solana-aligned PACs already dropping millions in midterm races, the panel should offer a candid read on whether that spending is winning friends or hardening opposition.
American Bitcoin executives Eric Trump and Asher Genoot take the stage at 1:05 p.m. ET. The company has positioned itself as a domestic mining operation, and their session will likely touch on energy policy and U.S. competitiveness in hash rate.
White House Executive Director Patrick Witt closes Wednesday with a 3:10 p.m. ET fireside. Witt’s office has been central to the administration’s crypto messaging, and any hints about executive action on digital assets will move headlines.
Thursday’s Policy Summit Runs Eight Hours
Thursday is the main event. The Policy Summit begins at 10:00 a.m. ET with a session on how decentralized finance can be regulated, especially given the parade of hacks that keep making news. If you track DeFi exploits through our derivatives dashboard, you’ve seen how protocol failures ripple into liquidation cascades. Regulators are watching the same data.
Former IRS officials Raj Mukherjee and Seth Wilks take the stage at 10:30 a.m. ET to discuss the 1099-DA reporting requirement and how the IRS approach to digital assets may evolve. The 1099-DA has been controversial since its rollout, and this session should clarify what enforcement looks like in practice.
At 10:55 a.m. ET, PayPal Head of Crypto Compliance Larry Wade and Crypto Council for Innovation CEO Ji Hun Kim discuss how fintech firms are navigating the regulatory sector. PayPal’s stablecoin has made it a case study for compliance-first product launches.
Two concurrent sessions run at 11:40 a.m. ET. Senator Ashley Moody and Digital Chamber CEO Cody Carbone will discuss the industry’s relationship with D.C. Meanwhile, a separate panel examines how more crypto companies are seeking banking licenses and what that means for both industries. If you’ve been following stablecoin legislation through our GENIUS Act explainer, the banking-license angle is the next logical frontier.
World Liberty Financial co-founders Donald Trump, Jr. And Zach Witkoff take the stage at 12:50 p.m. ET. Five minutes later, Breadcrumbs analyst James Delmore will lay out how much money has been dedicated to the 2026 election from crypto companies and how that may be spent. That session, part of the Policy Summit, is where the numbers get specific.
The political spending theme continues at 1:00 p.m. ET with Stand With Crypto’s Mason Lynaugh, Fellowship PAC’s Jesse Spiro, and Sternhell Group’s Alex Sternhell discussing how the crypto industry is engaging with the midterm. Stand With Crypto has been mobilizing since March, and this panel should offer a tactical update.
Afternoon Sessions Cover SEC, Stablecoins, and Global Coordination
At 1:30 p.m. ET, DeFi Education Fund’s Gavin Zavatone and Blockchain Association’s Lindsay Fraser will lay out what might happen with crypto legislation and rulemaking in 2027 based on the different possibilities this November. The session is designed to game out scenarios: if the Senate flips, if it doesn’t, if committee chairs change.
SEC Crypto Task Force Chief Counsel Taylor Lindman takes the stage at 1:55 p.m. ET. Lindman’s role at the regulator has been to coordinate the agency’s approach to digital assets following the March MOU with the CFTC. His session should clarify what the task force has actually accomplished and where it’s headed.
Tether’s Bo Hines and Bridge’s Lindsey Einhaus discuss stablecoin regulation at 2:00 p.m. ET. Tether remains the largest stablecoin issuer by market cap, and any comments on reserve audits or regulatory engagement will be scrutinized. Bridge, which handles USD Coin and other stablecoin rails, brings a different compliance perspective.
The final Policy Summit session at 2:10 p.m. ET features former CFTC Acting Chair and current Moonpay CLO Caroline Pham, Aleo’s Head of Policy Yaya Fanusie, and Binance Global Policy Lead Steven (full name not provided in the source). The panel appears focused on global coordination, a topic that’s gained urgency as jurisdictions race to define rules.
For anyone tracking market sentiment around these regulatory developments, our fear and greed index offers a useful real-time read on how traders are positioned.
