Bitcoin Policy Institute

What Bitcoin Policy Institute does

Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI) is a Washington, DC-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit think tank founded in 2021 (EIN: 88-1567390) that conducts nonpartisan policy research and advocacy on Bitcoin and digital assets. Its core product is original research — policy briefs, white papers, and commentary — organized around four focus areas: Future of Money, National Security and Geoeconomics, Mining and Energy, and Financial Inclusion and Human Rights. Beyond publications, BPI operates the annual Freedom Tech DC summit (formerly Bitcoin Policy Summit), a Congressional Fellowship Program placing policy experts inside member offices, and proprietary research tools including the BitcoinQuant Tax Payment Model (developed with BitcoinQuant to model tax-in-Bitcoin fiscal scenarios) and the moneyforai.org platform, which studied monetary preferences across 36 frontier AI models. The organization does not develop commercial software; its work is funded primarily through donations and grants as a public charity, with supplemental event revenue.

BPI serves U.S. federal policymakers (Congress, Treasury, Commerce, OSTP, SEC, CIA), the Bitcoin and digital asset industry, international policy bodies (United Nations/UNCITRAL, Taiwan Legislative Yuan, UK government), academia, and media. Its go-to-market is a hybrid of direct congressional engagement — including testimony briefings, research submissions, and a reported 19 congressional offices engaged on de minimis tax exemption legislation — alongside a content distribution model built on free research, a weekly podcast (The Bitcoin Policy Hour), press releases, social media, and hosted events. The organization is privately structured under Co-Presidents David Zell and Grant McCarty, with Executive Director Matthew Pines leading operations since February 2025 and senior staff drawn from Treasury (Sam Lyman), Senator Lummis's office (Conner Brown), and the Mercatus Center (Matthew Boyer). BPI does not publish revenue or funding figures; no venture or institutional investment is disclosed.

Name

Bitcoin Policy Institute

Legal name

Bitcoin Policy Institute

Website

https://btcpolicy.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Grants: BPI operates as a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN: 88-1567390) established in 2021. The organization relies on donations from individuals, companies, and potentially foundations to fund its research and advocacy operations.
2. Event Revenue: BPI generates revenue through hosting policy events including the Freedom Tech DC summit and various webinars, which may include registration fees or sponsorships.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bitcoin Policy Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit think tank that produces nonpartisan policy research, publications, and educational programming on Bitcoin and digital asset policy. Its deliverables include policy briefs, commentary, podcasts, webinars, the annual Freedom Tech DC summit, a Congressional Fellowship program placing policy experts in congressional offices, and interactive research tools (the BitcoinQuant Tax Payment Model and the Money for AI study platform) that support U.S. and international policymakers on issues such as Strategic Bitcoin Reserves, de minimis tax exemptions, financial privacy, and digital asset legislation.

Product overview

Bitcoin Policy Institute is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit think tank that guides America through the rise of Bitcoin with research and education. The organization operates as a research and advocacy organization rather than a technology product company. Its offerings include policy research and publications (policy briefs, commentaries, and academic research), events (Freedom Tech DC summit and Congressional Fellowship programs), and research tools including the BitcoinQuant Tax Payment Model and Money for AI research platform. The organization focuses on four key research areas: National Security & Geoeconomics, Mining & Energy, Future of Money, and Financial Inclusion & Human Rights.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bitcoin Policy Research and Publications Nonpartisan policy research and analysis on Bitcoin and emerging monetary networks. Includes policy briefs, commentaries, podcasts, and academic research covering national security, mining and energy, future of money, and financial inclusion themes. Distributed free of charge to policymakers, media, and the public via btcpolicy.org.
• BitcoinQuant Tax Payment Model An interactive financial model calculating the fiscal impact of Americans paying taxes in Bitcoin. Developed in partnership with BitcoinQuant to support policy analysis for a potential Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
• Money for AI Research Platform A research platform examining how AI models choose to transact and store value when operating as autonomous economic agents. Features studies on AI monetary preferences including Bitcoin and digital asset adoption patterns.
• Freedom Tech DC Summit Two-day annual policy summit in Washington, D.C., bringing together senior government officials, industry leaders, and policy experts. The 2026 event is scheduled for September 22-23, 2026, and the 2025 summit featured CIA Deputy Director Michael Ellis, SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce, and multiple senators and representatives.
• Congressional Fellowship Program Program placing policy experts within Congressional offices to advance Bitcoin and digital asset policy education and engagement.
• Educational Webinars and Podcasts Policy Hour webinar series, Spotlight Series, and The Bitcoin Policy Hour weekly podcast covering Bitcoin regulation, Strategic Bitcoin Reserves, financial privacy, and U.S. Federal Government Bitcoin policies, including episodes with Members of Congress.

Quantifiable outcome

• BPI research on Bitcoin's national security value prompted Adm. Samuel Paparo to testify before Senate that Bitcoin has 'incredible potential' as a national security tool for American power projection.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Xapo BanksupportingGTM or Marketing Partner · 5 May 2026Xapo Bank is supporting BPI's international initiative to educate UK policymakers on Bitcoin and digital asset policy. The partnership represents BPI's expansion beyond U.S. policy engagement into international markets.
• Moneyforai.orgcoreTechnology or Integration · 3 March 2026BPI released research on moneyforai.org examining how frontier AI models choose to transact when operating as autonomous economic agents. The study tested 36 models from six AI providers including Anthropic, DeepSeek, Google, MiniMax, OpenAI, and xAI.
• FedicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 January 2026Fedi partnered with Cornell University's Brooks School of Public Policy and BPI for a two-year study examining American attitudes toward financial privacy technologies. The study combines nationally representative surveys with developer interviews to understand how policy affects privacy-related decisions.
• Cornell University Brooks Tech Policy InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 January 2026Cornell's Tech Policy Institute, led by Dr. Sarah Kreps, is collaborating with Fedi and BPI on a comprehensive study of privacy attitudes and policy impacts. The research examines how policy signals affect public behavior and developer decisions over time.
• BitcoinQuantsupportingTechnology or Integration · 20 November 2025BPI partnered with BitcoinQuant (Rohan Hirani) to develop a proprietary financial model calculating the fiscal impact of Americans paying taxes in Bitcoin for a potential Strategic Bitcoin Reserve.
• Atlas NetworksupportingStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 August 2023BPI Co-Founder Grant McCarty won Atlas Network's Think Tank Shark Tank competition at their Radical Innovation Summit in Mexico City. Atlas Network supports global liberty-advancing think tanks.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Coin Center: Leading US nonprofit focused on crypto and Bitcoin public-policy research, education, and advocacy. Most direct comparable to BPI given shared 501(c)(3) status, DC base, and emphasis on rigorous policy work for Congress and regulators.
• Crypto Council for Innovation: Global alliance advocating for pro-innovation crypto policy across major jurisdictions. Comparable on policy-advocacy mandate, with a broader international scope and corporate-funder base than BPI.
• Chamber of Digital Commerce: One of the earliest crypto trade associations, focused on educating policymakers and advocating for digital-asset legislation. Comparable in mission and DC-centered engagement, with longer operating history and broader membership base.
• Blockchain Association: US crypto industry trade association representing digital-asset companies in legislative and regulatory engagement. Directly comparable to BPI on policy advocacy targeting, though organized as a 501(c)(6) industry association rather than a research nonprofit.
• DeFi Education Fund: Nonprofit focused on decentralized-finance and digital-asset policy research and education for US lawmakers. Closely comparable as a small, mission-aligned policy organization engaging Congress on crypto frameworks.

Broad incumbents

• Heritage Foundation: Major conservative think tank with significant influence on Republican administration policy and congressional engagement. Comparable on DC-based, ideologically-aligned policy work with strong administration and congressional ties, but operates at substantially larger scale.
• Cato Institute: Libertarian-leaning think tank engaged on monetary policy, financial regulation, and digital-asset topics. Comparable as a research-driven policy organization publishing cited work, with a broader policy remit and longer publication history.
• Mercatus Center: Established free-market policy research institution at George Mason University that has housed BPI alumni (Director of Communications Matthew Boyer). Comparable as a DC policy-research organization, though with a much broader economic-policy remit.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/btcpolicyorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bitcoin-policy-institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bitcoin Policy Institute