Zcash Advocacy Group Files to Lobby Washington on Crypto Policy

Pretty Good Policy for Zcash (PGPZ) has registered as a federal lobbying entity in Washington, marking a formal escalation of the privacy-focused cryptocurrency's efforts to shape US digital asset regulation. The registration, effective October 1, names executive director Divij Pandya as the organization's sole lobbyist and lists the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act alongside two digital asset tax proposals among its targeted policy areas.

The group traces its roots to Pretty Good Policy for Crypto, a program launched in 2022 by Electric Coin Co. to engage Washington on encryption and digital asset issues. After hosting policy roundtables and organizing a congressional briefing on encryption technologies in 2023, the initiative was restructured and rebranded as PGPZ in June of this year. "Policymakers are making decisions that will affect whether privacy-preserving digital cash can exist, be used lawfully, and serve the public interest. PGPZ is about ensuring Zcash is understood, represented, and defended in those conversations," said founder Paul Brigner, who also serves as chief policy and regulatory officer at ZODL.

PGPZ's first year of operations is backed by a $750,000 grant approved in August by the Zcash Community Grants committee. The funding supports organized policy work aimed at ensuring Zcash has what Brigner described as "serious, organized, and credible policy engagement in Washington" as Congress moves toward comprehensive digital asset legislation.