US Federal Election Commission approves use of Bitcoin for campaign contributions

by Inline Policy on 09 May 2014

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) has unanimously approved the use of Bitcoin for political donations after months of debate on the issue. Commissioners imposed several conditions. Among them: No anonymous bitcoin contributions will be allowed, and campaign treasurers must scrutinize the donations for "evidence of illegality."

Jim Harper, global policy counsel of the industry's Bitcoin Foundation, said the FEC's move lends further legitimacy to the computer-generated currency. "It's another part of the growing body of regulation that establishes bitcoin as a co-equal part of the financial services system."

Political observers say they expect bitcoin's use to be embraced first by candidates cultivating voters in tech-savvy circles where the currency first gained acceptance. "You may not see a lot of establishment candidates in the parties" rushing to accept the currency just yet, said Michael Toner, a Washington campaign-finance lawyer and a former FEC chairman.

policy-regulation-tech-sector-guide

Source: USA Today

Topics: Financial Services Regulation, UK business, Economic policy

Inline Policy

Written by Inline Policy

Get the latest updates from our blog

Related Articles

The Queen’s Speech on 10 May 2022 outlines all the Bills that the Government intends to introduce in the new ... Read more

Inline’s previous blog explored the UK Government’s aspirations for the technology and digital sectors and ... Read more

The December 2019 General election will be the fourth election or referendum to take place in the UK in the ... Read more

The Finnish Government's work programme for its Presidency of the Council of the EU includes important ... Read more

Comments