Pantera Capital’s CEO Dan Morehead compares the cryptocurrency industry’s relationship with U.S. regulators to having “Stockholm Syndrome,” arguing that prolonged, aggressive enforcement has created a negative and fearful environment. He cites the SEC’s simultaneous lawsuits against Coinbase and Ripple as a key moment that stifled industry advocacy. While noting a current shift toward more neutral regulation is a positive turning point, Morehead warns of a major shift: 19 of the world’s top 20 crypto protocols are now based outside the United States, contrasting sharply with the U.S. origins of major internet firms. Fundstrat’s Tom Lee echoed this concern at the event.
In a recent statement, Pantera CEO Dan Morehead bluntly stated that the crypto industry has been “tortured by regulation for too long and is now like having Stockholm Syndrome.”
He mentioned that the period when the SEC simultaneously sued Coinbase and Ripple Labs made no institution dare to bring up crypto issues to the state legislature, which is also the reason why the industry has been in a negative state for a long time.
Morehead believes that the current shift towards neutral regulation is a significant turning point, but what is truly alarming is that 19 out of the world’s top 20 agreements are no longer based in the United States, a stark contrast to the fact that major internet companies originated in the free world.
Tom Lee, who was present at the scene, also expressed his agreement.