Coinbase’s Chief Financial Officer, Alesia Haas, claimed on Wednesday that U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris is using the company’s Commerce platform to accept cryptocurrency donations. The statement was made during a discussion with Citigroup’s director of payments, Peter Christiansen, at Citi’s 2024 Global TMT Conference in New York, as revealed in a recording reviewed by Fortune.
This announcement comes on the heels of an August report suggesting that Coinbase was in talks with the Harris campaign. However, Harris’s team has not yet responded to requests for comment, leaving the extent of this collaboration unclear.
Historically, the Democratic Party, under President Joe Biden, has been more cautious toward cryptocurrency compared to Republicans. However, recent lobbying efforts could signal a potential shift in this stance. Haas highlighted Harris’s use of Coinbase Commerce as a significant development, stating, “She’s using Coinbase Commerce now to accept crypto for her own campaign.”
Despite this claim, the advocacy group Crypto4Harris reported that they are unaware of Harris accepting crypto donations, and her official fundraising website does not currently display any option for cryptocurrency contributions. In June, the super PAC Future Forward announced it had raised $50 million to support Harris, but no details regarding crypto involvement were provided.
Coinbase has been ramping up its policy spending, with Haas describing this period as a “unique precipice” for potential regulatory clarity in the U.S. This effort includes contributions to Fair Shake, a political action committee supporting pro-crypto candidates, which saw significant success in recent elections.
Haas expressed cautious optimism about Harris’s potential role in advancing crypto legislation, although specific details have not yet been disclosed. Meanwhile, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has reportedly stated that the company has not made direct donations to any presidential campaigns.
