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Jim Messina — one of Barack Obama’s closest advisers during his presidency in the United States — has taken on an executive role at the cryptocurrency platform – BlockhainCom. The veteran politician is responsible for government relations and corporate policy strategy.
Another US official who has moved into the crypto world is Brian Brooks. The former controlling currency in the United States is now the CEO of Bitcoin Mining company Bitfury Group.
Jim Messina runs BlockhainCom
In a recent interview for CNBC, BlockchainCom CEO Lane Kasselman revealed that Jim Messina joined the company in 2021. He acted as the company’s lead government relations advisor ahead of plans to strengthen its presence in Europe and expand globally.
Messina is a key figure in the organization who often advises the group on lobbying strategy. The CEO noted that much of BlockchainCom’s success in Europe and the US is due to his efforts:
“You can say that we are probably one of the most prolific companies when it comes to public policy engagement related to crypto globally, certainly in the US and western Europe. That’s a direct result of Jim and his guidance on that front.”
Kasselman further revealed that his company has some issues with members of the European Parliament because they are considering placing non-custodial wallets as illegal. After lengthy negotiations, Messina managed to change their mind:
“It’s core to our business belief that we should give people control of their assets and protect it from all other potential interference. And Jim really made us think through “what is that argument, what’s going to work in Brussels?”
And as a result of his counsel, having worked with heads of state across Europe for years, we crafted, I don’t want to call it a campaign but sort of an argument that we went in and met with some of the Ministers and won.”
Messina has advised numerous prominent politicians throughout his career. Some include former U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May, previous Prime Minister Matteo Renzi of Italy and former Argentine President Mauricio Macri.
Brian Brooks becomes Bitfury’s CEO
In 2021, American lawyer Brian Brooks, who served as a Currency Controller in the United States between May 5, 2020 and January 1, 2021, was appointed CEO of Binance US.
However, after only a few months, in November 2021, he became the new CEO of Bitfury.
Brian Brooks predicts that the adoption of digital assets will soar in the coming years, which could positively affect the price of BTC.
He argued that the Fed’s approach to Inflation is one reason why the cryptocurrency market has not been able to recover to its former state:
“We have talked about the idea that bitcoin is an inflation hedge. The more the market expects tough policy from the Fed, the more people think the Fed is going to keep an aggressive posture, and that would tend to harm Bitcoin.”
