Solana Policy Institute Launched to Advocate for Decentralized Networks in Washington
2min read The Solana Policy Institute (SPI), a non-partisan, non-profit organization, was established on March 31 to engage with lawmakers, educate them on the role of decentralized networks in the digital economy, and advocate for Solana (SOL) in Washington. The group will focus on promoting legal clarity for builders and users of Solana-based applications. SPI was established by Miller Whitehouse-Levine, former CEO of the DeFi Education Fund, who will serve as its CEO.
According to SPI’s announcement, the institute will work alongside other crypto advocacy organizations in Washington and aims to present the Solana ecosystem as a case study of how decentralized technologies can contribute to economic and social infrastructure. Its mission includes convening Solana developer and user community stakeholders to highlight real-world use cases and inform public policy.
Whitehouse-Levine stated: “I’m honored to be leading the Solana Policy Institute as we work to educate policymakers on the incredible potential of decentralized networks like Solana. It’s a pivotal moment for our industry, and we need clear rules to unleash the innovators building the digital economy of the future.”
SPI intends to position Solana as a representative example of blockchain’s potential utility in various economic sectors, including finance, data storage, and digital identity. The institute argues that decentralized networks are emerging as foundational infrastructure for the next phase of the internet and that legal certainty is essential to supporting responsible innovation. The group will directly engage with congressional staff, federal regulators, and executive branch agencies.
SPI will emphasize the importance of differentiating between centralized and decentralized models when developing legislation and guidance, particularly in securities classification, consumer protection, and market integrity. SPI’s strategic approach includes convening voices from within the Solana ecosystem, such as infrastructure providers, developers, and users of decentralized applications (dApps). These stakeholders will provide policymakers with case-specific insights, demonstrating how blockchain-based tools are deployed in practice and where regulatory uncertainty constrains adoption.
As a result, the Solana Policy Institute will serve as a dedicated conduit between the Solana network and federal policymakers, focusing on structured, evidence-based advocacy to inform legislative and regulatory processes. Since the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued major US exchanges in 2023, SOL and other altcoins were considered securities by the regulator. However, SOL’s legal status has improved in the past few weeks. On March 2, President Donald Trump floated the idea of a digital asset stockpile and mentioned SOL among other altcoins.
Solana is also reaching US investors through new investment tools. On March 17, the first SOL futures contracts started trading on CME Group, followed three days later by the launch of the first SOL futures-based exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Analysts believe that the availability of futures-related products potentially boosts the odds of a spot SOL ETF in the US. Additionally, the SEC has extinguished most high-profile lawsuits where SOL was considered a security. The SPI launch aligns with major legal developments for Solana, boosting the network’s future prospects in the US.
