Blockchain Association CEO Summer Mersinger to Step Down; Kristin Smith, the Association's Founding Leader, to Return as Interim CEO

Mersinger's tenure delivered the GENIUS Act, landmark regulatory progress at the SEC and CFTC, and record engagement in Washington

Washington, D.C. (Sept. 25, 2026) – Blockchain Association today announced that CEO Summer Mersinger will step down on October 16, while remaining as an advisor through the end of the year to ensure a smooth transition, concluding a tenure that spanned the most consequential period for digital asset policy in U.S. history. Kristin Smith, President of the Association's Board of Directors, will return to lead Blockchain Association as interim CEO on October 17. Smith was the Association's first employee when it launched in 2018 and went on to lead it as CEO until 2025, building it from a staff of one into the industry's leading voice in Washington.

Mersinger joined Blockchain Association in June 2025 after serving as a Commissioner of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). She brought years of public service to the role, including senior staff positions in both chambers of Congress and years as a trusted advisor to Senate Majority Leader John Thune. Under her leadership, the Association pursued a parallel strategy of legislative and regulatory progress that delivered historic results for the industry:

• The GENIUS Act. Mersinger led the Association's advocacy through final passage of the GENIUS Act, which President Trump signed into law in July 2025 as the first federal framework for payment stablecoins. She then led BA's campaign to defend the new law against banking-lobby efforts to weaken it and partnered with the North American Blockchain Association to help state policymakers implement it.
• Regulatory clarity at the SEC and CFTC. Blockchain Association was a leading voice as federal regulators delivered a series of landmark actions, including the joint SEC-CFTC interpretation recognizing that most crypto assets are not themselves securities, the SEC's proposed Regulation Crypto Assets, the SEC's Innovation Exemption for onchain trading of tokenized securities, and CFTC relief for software developers. Under Mersinger, BA also launched a new member workstream model. Its first project was a February 2026 petition asking the CFTC to regulate perpetual contracts on digital assets as futures. In May, the CFTC approved Kalshi's bitcoin perpetual contract as a futures contract, the first perpetual futures approved for trading in the U.S., and issued a policy statement opening the door to more.
• A voice before Congress. Mersinger testified before the Senate Banking Committee, the House Financial Services Committee, and a House Ways and Means subcommittee on digital asset regulation, tax policy, and the future of U.S. capital markets.
• Grassroots advocacy. Mersinger launched the Association's first in-house grassroots advocacy program, giving builders, users, and crypto voters across the country a direct line to their elected officials.
• Record engagement in Washington. Blockchain Association reached record levels of engagement with the White House, Congress, and federal agencies. In 2026, BA held more than 300 meetings with congressional and agency staff and led seven member fly-ins on Capitol Hill.

“Summer took the helm of Blockchain Association at the most consequential moment in the history of crypto policy, and she met it,” said Smith. “She brought the credibility of a former regulator and experience on Capitol Hill, and she put every bit of it to work for this industry. The GENIUS Act, the progress at the SEC and CFTC, and the strength of this Association today all carry her mark. On behalf of the Board, I'm deeply grateful to her. Blockchain Association has been part of my life since the day it had a staff of one, and coming back to lead it is personal for me. We have an exceptional team and a clear mission. I can't wait to get to work.”

“Leading Blockchain Association has been one of the great privileges of my career,” said Mersinger. “I came here from the CFTC because I believed this industry deserved clear rules of the road and a credible, unified voice making the case for them in Washington. I'm proud of how far we've come together, from the GENIUS Act to real regulatory clarity at the SEC and CFTC. I'm grateful to our team, who poured everything into this work, and to our members, who showed up for it again and again. Kristin built this Association from the ground up, and BA is in good hands. I'll be cheering them on.”

About Blockchain Association: Blockchain Association is the unified voice of the cryptocurrency industry. Our members include the sector's leading investors, companies, and projects, working together to support a future-forward, pro-innovation national policy and regulatory framework for the crypto economy. Find us at theblockchainassociation.org. Follow us @BlockchainAssn.

Media Inquiries: Curtis Kincaid, curtis@theblockchainassociation.org