Now that the end of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s lawsuit against his Ethereum software firm appears to be near, Consensys founder and CEO Joe Lubin—also a co-founder of Ethereum itself—is optimistic about crypto’s future in the United States.
Speaking with Decrypt at ETH Denver 2025, Lubin said there has been a sea change between the administrations of former President Joe Biden and Donald Trump, who retook office in January.
“There have been massive changes and a shift in approach,” Lubin said Friday. “We’re now having constructive discussions with the SEC, instead of facing irrational attacks.”
He added: “We feel liberated and are excited to operate in an America that embraces decentralization and isn’t trying to granularly control every aspect of human life.”
During the 2024 presidential campaign, then-candidate Trump promised a more favorable environment for crypto in the United States.
In July 2024, the SEC sued Consensys over MetaMask’s staking service, accusing the company of engaging in the unregistered offer and sale of securities. For many, the SEC’s actions under then-Chair Gary Gensler amounted to regulation by enforcement rather than providing clear guidelines for the blockchain industry to operate in the United States.
On Thursday, the firm said that the SEC agreed to end its lawsuit against Consensys, pending commissioner approval. The announcement echoed those from other major firms like Coinbase, Robinhood, Uniswap Labs, and OpenSea in recent days as the SEC closes investigations and kills active lawsuits against crypto firms en masse.
The SEC’s case ends at a time of growth for Consensys and its MetaMask wallet. At ETH Denver, MetaMask announced support for both Bitcoin and Solana, expanding beyond the popular wallet's long-standing Ethereum and EVM core. (Disclosure: Consensys is one of 22 investors behind an editorially independent Decrypt.)
According to Lubin, U.S. agencies have become increasingly receptive to learning about blockchain and staking cryptocurrency since Trump has taken office.
“Other parts of the government are recognizing our technology and exploring ways to support it,” he said. “Whether that is through stablecoins, market structures, or David Sacks' work on crypto and AI—the acceleration is definitely on.”
Edited by James Rubin