Kristin Smith returns to run Blockchain Association

The Blockchain Association, the U.S. crypto industry's main advocacy group, is being run again by its original CEO, Kristin Smith, after Summer Mersinger's departure at the end of a long congressional fight. The leadership shift lands days after the CLARITY Act, the market-structure bill the group had pushed, failed to advance in the Senate.

Smith will lead on an interim basis while the association continues its federal policy work, including litigation over Illinois' digital asset tax. No reason for Mersinger's exit or a timeline for a permanent successor was disclosed.