Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase CFO Alesia Haas revealed that Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign is accepting crypto donations using Coinbase Commerce, Fortune reported.
Haas revealed this fact during a conversation with the company's director of payments Peter Christiansen at Citigroup's 2024 Global TMT Conference in New York.
"Kamala is accepting crypto donations. She is currently using Coinbase Commerce to accept crypto donations for her campaign," Haas said.
This development follows reports in August that Coinbase was in discussions with the Harris campaign regarding crypto, a fact also confirmed by the company's chief policy officer Faryar Shirzad.
However, despite the claims from both Coinbase executives, the Harris campaign has not made any public comments on cryptocurrencies.
The Harris campaign's official fundraising website makes no mention of cryptocurrencies and does not display any links to Coinbase Commerce.
Coinbase is one of the donors to the political action committee (PAC) FairShake, which has donated $25 million to the PAC that supports pro-crypto US politicians. In June, it donated another $25 million to the PAC.
Haas mentioned the donation at the Citi event, citing Coinbase's "increased policy spending" and saying it "may be able to get regulatory clarity in the U.S."
Regarding FairShake's wins in 32 of the 34 elections it has been involved in, Haas said, "We're seeing those dollars impact elections."
Haas further argued that Harris has already outlined part of the more open framework she hopes to use to advance crypto legislation and bring regulatory clarity to the U.S.
He added that Coinbase is cautiously optimistic about Harris' plans.
Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong said in March that the company has not donated directly to U.S. presidential candidates, despite donating to FairShake PAC.
Under President Joe Biden's administration, Democrats have generally been less supportive of crypto than Republicans. However, recent lobbying efforts could change this stance.
Under Biden's administration, the stance on the crypto industry was very tough, but the Harris campaign has changed its stance since August.
The crypto industry-friendly move began with the "Crypto for Harris" campaign, which countered former President Donald Trump's positive comments.
Reference: FORTUNE
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