The Crypto Council for Innovation (CCI) is welcoming three new members focused on institutional finance, perpetual futures markets, and digital identity, reflecting a broader push to embed technical expertise into global regulatory frameworks as crypto moves from pilots into production. The additions come as policymakers worldwide are actively crafting rules for digital assets, market structure, and blockchain infrastructure.

Why Are Policymakers Suddenly Seeking Crypto Industry Input?

Regulators across multiple jurisdictions are working through a full agenda that requires trusted technical guidance from the firms building blockchain infrastructure. Congress is drafting market structure and digital asset tax legislation, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) are advancing regulatory clarity for onchain markets, and banking regulators are implementing a framework called GENIUS. Meanwhile, the European Union has completed its transition period for MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets Regulation), the United Kingdom has finalized its cryptoasset rules ahead of a 2027 commencement, and jurisdictions across Asia continue to build out their regulatory frameworks.

This regulatory momentum creates an opportunity for industry voices to shape how rules evolve alongside the technology. The CCI's expansion reflects recognition that policymakers need operating knowledge from the firms closest to the work.

"Strong policy depends on technical input from the firms closest to the work. These members represent some of the largest ecosystems and deepen expertise across a variety of critical issues including onchain markets, tokenization, digital identity, and more," said Ji Hun Kim, Chief Executive Officer of the Crypto Council for Innovation.

Ji Hun Kim, Chief Executive Officer, Crypto Council for Innovation

What Do the Three New Members Bring to the Table?

The CCI welcomed Etherealize, Hyperliquid Policy Center, and Tools for Humanity as new members, each addressing distinct areas of institutional crypto adoption.

• Etherealize: Focuses on institutional capital markets on Ethereum, the second-largest blockchain network. The firm brings expertise on how traditional finance is moving beyond pilot programs into production-scale deployment on blockchain infrastructure.
• Hyperliquid Policy Center: Specializes in perpetual futures markets, which are derivatives contracts that allow traders to bet on price movements without owning the underlying asset. The organization advocates for clear U.S. rules governing onchain perpetual futures, which currently cannot be legally accessed by Americans despite being one of crypto's most actively traded markets.
• Tools for Humanity: Brings expertise in digital identity solutions, a foundational technology for institutional adoption and regulatory compliance in blockchain systems.

Etherealize's co-founder and CEO noted the timing of the expansion: "Institutional finance is moving beyond pilots and into production on Ethereum. As adoption begins to scale, now is the opportunity to ensure the regulatory framework evolves alongside the technology," he explained.

and CEO

"Perpetual futures are the most actively traded market in crypto, and the onchain version is one of our industry's best contributions to finance. But Americans can't lawfully access it, because our own rules were written before this architecture existed," stated Jake Chervinsky, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hyperliquid Policy Center.

Jake Chervinsky, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Hyperliquid Policy Center

How Is the CCI Expanding Its Policy Infrastructure?

The new member additions follow a period of broader organizational growth at the CCI. The organization has launched two new specialized councils and expanded its research output.

• Vault Coalition: Developing legal and policy analysis on the regulatory treatment of onchain vault structures, which are blockchain-based systems for storing and managing digital assets with institutional-grade security.
• Digital Energy Council: Focuses on energy development, grid resilience, and digital asset infrastructure, addressing concerns about the environmental impact of blockchain systems.
• Research Expansion: The CCI's research team has published analysis on building under the UK's new regulatory regime, the tax treatment of staking (the process of locking up cryptocurrency to validate blockchain transactions), and the role of market structure legislation in preventing the offshoring of innovation to other countries.

The CCI maintains teams across six major financial and regulatory hubs: Washington D.C., New York, San Francisco, Brussels, London, and Hong Kong. This geographic distribution reflects the global nature of crypto regulation and institutional adoption.

What Does This Mean for Institutional Crypto Adoption?

The expansion of the CCI's membership and policy infrastructure signals that institutional finance is moving beyond experimental pilots toward production-scale deployment on blockchain networks. As traditional financial institutions increasingly explore tokenization (converting real-world assets like securities or commodities into digital tokens), digital identity solutions, and onchain trading, the need for clear regulatory frameworks becomes more urgent.

The timing is significant: regulators worldwide are actively writing rules for digital assets at a moment when institutional adoption is accelerating. By embedding technical expertise into policy discussions now, the CCI and its members are attempting to ensure that regulatory frameworks support innovation rather than inadvertently pushing it offshore to less-regulated jurisdictions. This represents a shift from crypto being viewed as a disruptive force to being integrated into the infrastructure of global finance.