Chainlink Labs and Anchorage Digital Help Launch New Pro-Crypto Super PAC Ahead of 2026 Midterms
A new political action committee dedicated to shaping U.S. digital asset policy has entered the arena, backed by major industry players Chainlink Labs and Anchorage Digital. The Blockchain Leadership Fund (BLF), unveiled on Monday, is positioning itself as a well-funded, long-term vehicle for supporting pro-crypto candidates ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and beyond.
BLF has been set up as a hybrid PAC by members of The Digital Chamber, a prominent trade body representing blockchain and crypto companies. This hybrid structure is strategically significant: it allows the fund to both donate directly to political campaigns within legal limits and finance independent expenditures, such as issue ads and advocacy efforts, that are not coordinated with specific candidates. In practical terms, that gives the organization a wider range of tools to influence races at the federal, state, and local levels.
Anchorage Digital and Chainlink Labs are listed as founding contributors, signaling that leading firms across both institutional crypto finance and blockchain infrastructure see political engagement as critical to the industry’s future. Their early backing provides the PAC with instant credibility and suggests that more companies in the sector could join as supporters as the 2026 cycle ramps up.
In its launch announcement, BLF framed its mission around the belief that the rules governing digital assets are being defined right now-and that the companies actively participating in the process will have a say in how those rules are written. “Crypto policy is being written right now and the companies that show up and engage will help define the rules of the road; the ones that don’t will inherit them,” a spokesperson for Anchorage Digital said in the release. That quote neatly captures the current mood in the industry: regulatory uncertainty is no longer something to simply outwait; it is a battlefield where absence carries a real cost.
The formation of the Blockchain Leadership Fund adds yet another well-financed actor to an already aggressive crypto lobbying landscape. In recent election cycles, the digital asset sector has rapidly shifted from a loosely organized group of startups to a sophisticated political force, pooling resources to back candidates viewed as open to innovation and sensible regulation. BLF’s arrival continues that trend, but with a particular focus on being active across multiple layers of government rather than concentrating solely on Washington.
The decision to organize as a hybrid PAC is especially noteworthy. Traditional PACs can contribute directly to campaigns, but their spending and influence are heavily capped. Super PACs, on the other hand, may raise and spend unlimited amounts on independent political activity, but they cannot donate directly to candidates. Hybrid PACs attempt to capture the advantages of both models, maintaining distinct accounts so that direct contributions remain compliant while also building separate war chests for large-scale, independent campaigning. For an industry as capital-intensive and fast-growing as crypto, that flexibility is a powerful asset.
For Chainlink Labs, a company whose technology underpins a vast ecosystem of decentralized finance, smart contracts, and tokenized assets, regulatory clarity is not a peripheral issue-it is core to long-term adoption. Chainlink’s oracles help connect blockchains to real-world data, making them integral to financial products, on-chain markets, and enterprise uses that inevitably intersect with securities law, commodities regulation, and consumer protection rules. Supporting a PAC that aims to inform and shape digital asset policy is, in that light, a strategic investment in the conditions necessary for its technology to thrive.
Anchorage Digital, a federally chartered institution focused on digital asset custody and financial services, faces a similarly high stake in regulatory outcomes. Operating at the intersection of traditional finance and crypto, it must navigate oversight from multiple regulators and comply with evolving standards around custody, banking, and capital markets. A coherent and consistent policy environment can determine whether institutions feel comfortable expanding into crypto-or retreat to the sidelines. Anchorage’s role as a founding contributor to BLF underscores its interest in steering that environment rather than simply reacting to it.
Beyond direct campaign support, BLF is expected to engage in broader advocacy: educating policymakers on how digital asset technology works, highlighting economic and innovation benefits, and pushing back against proposals viewed as hostile or poorly targeted. By pledging to get involved in federal, state, and local contests, the PAC is signaling that it sees crucial battles not just in Congress, but in state legislatures, regulatory offices, and even municipal-level decisions that can affect licensing, taxation, and innovation zones.
The timing of BLF’s launch reflects a growing recognition that the next few years will be formative for crypto regulation. With debates intensifying around stablecoins, decentralized finance, token classification, anti-money laundering rules, and consumer safeguards, the legal framework that emerges will either encourage responsible growth or constrain it. By entering the scene well before the 2026 midterms, the Blockchain Leadership Fund gives itself runway to build relationships with candidates, shape primary races, and support emerging political leaders who understand the technology.
The PAC’s creation also illustrates how the crypto sector is maturing politically. In earlier years, many founders and developers treated policy as a distant concern, assuming technology would outpace regulation. That posture has shifted dramatically as enforcement actions, legislative proposals, and regulatory guidance have started to reshape business models and market structure. Now, instead of asking whether to engage in politics, major firms are asking how aggressively and through what vehicles. BLF is one answer to that question.
Another implication of BLF’s debut is the growing professionalization of crypto advocacy. Rather than relying on ad hoc donations from individual executives or fragmented efforts, the industry is increasingly using formal structures that can pool resources, coordinate messaging, and run sustained campaigns over multiple election cycles. This makes it easier to support candidates with consistent policy views, monitor legislative developments, and respond quickly when new proposals emerge.
For candidates, the rise of such PACs can cut both ways. On one hand, pro-innovation lawmakers may see BLF as a valuable ally able to amplify their message, fund advertising, and mobilize industry voices. On the other, politicians wary of crypto’s risks might view the fund’s resources as a sign that the sector is determined to resist stricter rules. Either way, the mere presence of a well-backed hybrid PAC ensures that digital asset issues will be harder to ignore in upcoming races.
For voters invested in or working with digital assets, the Blockchain Leadership Fund may become an indicator of where the industry’s policy priorities lie. While the PAC’s early messaging centers on fostering clear, innovation-friendly regulation, its concrete endorsements and spending decisions over the next two years will reveal which issues it ranks most highly-whether that’s tax treatment of digital assets, stablecoin frameworks, consumer protection, or the legal status of decentralized finance.
Looking ahead, BLF’s success will likely be measured not only by the number of candidates it helps elect, but by the quality and durability of the regulatory environment that develops. If lawmakers begin to pass more tailored, technology-aware rules instead of broad-brush restrictions, the PAC and its founding contributors will likely argue that their early investment in political engagement paid off. If, instead, the landscape becomes fragmented and adversarial, the experience may push the industry toward even more robust organizing and coalition-building.
For now, the launch of the Blockchain Leadership Fund underscores a clear reality: the crypto industry no longer sees regulation as something that happens to it from afar. With Anchorage Digital, Chainlink Labs, and other members of The Digital Chamber stepping forward as political players, digital asset firms are signaling that they intend to be active participants in writing the “rules of the road” that will govern how this technology fits into the broader financial system.