Lauren Belive, a former official in the White House Office of Legislative Affairs and policy director of the U.S. House Rules Committee, has joined cryptocurrency company Ripple as head of U.S. public policy and government.
Belive said in a statement posted on LinkedIn on September 26 that she had accepted a policy position at Ripple, responsible for leading business activities in Washington, D.C., and across the United States. With experience in government, she previously held similar positions at SoftBank Group, Zoom and Lyft.
“As the regulatory environment continues to evolve, it is critical that we advocate for policies that not only support the cryptocurrency industry, but also the countless individuals and businesses that can benefit from these advancements,” Belive said.
Belive joins Ripple as the company files a lawsuit with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission over the XRP token. Although the case is still pending, a judge ruled in July that the token was not largely a security, with repercussions that rippled throughout the cryptocurrency space.
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Members of major U.S. cryptocurrency companies appear to be ramping up their advocacy efforts with lawmakers in an attempt to address regulatory clarity in the space. Coinbase’s “Stand with Crypto” campaign encourages users to vote for crypto-friendly candidates at the state and federal levels.
As of the time of publication, U.S. lawmakers are divided over a spending bill aimed at averting a government shutdown after September 30. Several cryptocurrency bills awaiting a vote in the full House of Representatives could be delayed if members of Congress are unable to reach consensus. An agreement was reached within a week.
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