As reported by Fortune, the Chief Financial Officer of Coinbase, Alesia Haas, indicated that U.S. Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris is utilizing the firm’s Commerce platform to gather cryptocurrency donations for her campaign.
This remark was made during a discussion with Citigroup’s Director of Payments, Peter Christiansen, at the Citi 2024 Global TMT Conference in New York, where Fortune obtained a recording of the dialogue.
BREAKING: Coinbase CFO reveals Kamala Harris campaign is utilizing Coinbase for crypto donations — Fortune 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/EWhSFY205R
— Bitcoin Magazine (@BitcoinMagazine) September 4, 2024
“She is indeed accepting crypto donations,” Haas was quoted saying. “She’s employing Coinbase Commerce currently to receive crypto for her campaign.”
However, the pro-Harris advocacy organization Crypto4Harris mentioned that they had no knowledge of this development. Moreover, Harris’s official fundraising website does not yet show options for cryptocurrency donations. Harris’s campaign and Coinbase have been contacted for comments, but as of this writing, Fortune has yet to receive a response.
The “Crypto for Harris” initiative, which started last month, aims to attract support from cryptocurrency enthusiasts as Harris looks to bolster her presidential campaign.
“She has a significant opportunity, and we are cautiously optimistic,” Haas reportedly added. “Though she hasn’t revealed all the specifics yet, she has expressed interest in promoting crypto legislation.”
Harris’ choice to accept cryptocurrency donations signifies a tactical move to compete with her rival Donald Trump, who previously welcomed Bitcoin Lightning Network donations for his campaign this year. Trump’s association with the Bitcoin community was further established when he addressed The Bitcoin 2024 Conference in Nashville—an event that Harris noticeably opted not to attend.
