Hosted by Solana Policy Institute, Solana Summit: Washington x Wall Street convenes policymakers, regulators, institutional investors, and developers to explore why Solana serves as foundational infrastructure for modern finance and how sound, forward-looking policy can enable broader institutional adoption of blockchain technology.
Event Schedule
10 AM
Coffee & Coworking
11 AM
Digital Commodities and the Regulatory Landscape
This fireside chat unpacks the CFTC’s evolving role in digital assets – from the treatment of digital commodities to the regulation of event contracts and on-chain derivatives – and what it means for firms already operating in regulated markets.
- Michael Passalacqua, CFTC
- Miller Whitehouse-Levine, Solana Policy Institute
11:30 AM
All In: Institutions and Digital Assets
Digital assets have moved from the periphery of institutional finance to the epicenter. This panel brings together leaders from across traditional and decentralized finance to examine how institutions are integrating digital ass of ets across portfolios, balance sheets, and compliance frameworks.
- John Svolos, Skybridge
- Larry Wade, Paypal
- Sara Krople, Crowe
- Moderated by Zack Guzman, Coinage
12 PM
Drawing the Lines: Compliance, Clarity, and What the New Rules Actually Demand
The regulatory picture for digital assets is shifting fast – new rules, new guidance, and new legislation. This session cuts through the noise: where the SEC and CFTC jurisdictional lines are actually landing, what the Clarity Act would mean for firms with existing regulatory obligations, and how institutional players are building compliance frameworks that can absorb continued uncertainty without stalling growth.
- Craig Salm, Grayscale
- Jeff Steiner, Gibson Dunn
- Tiffany Smith, WilmerHale
- Dan Gerhardstein, Jump
- Moderated by Patrick Wilson, Solana Policy Institute
12:30 PM
Lunch
1:30 PM
Solana: Built for Modern Finance
Solana is purpose-built to replace the siloed, slow, and expensive rails that constrain today’s financial system — settling transactions in milliseconds, at fractions of a cent, and opening global markets to issuers and investors that legacy infrastructure has never been able to serve.
- Kristin Smith, Solana Policy Institute
1:40 PM
The Crypto Vote: 2026 and Beyond
The 2026 midterms are on the horizon and crypto remains a key issue in U.S. elections. Pollsters, reporters, and political analysts explore the crypto voter bloc, its growing influence on campaigns, and what it means for races ahead.
- Rebecca Shaw, Avoq Strategies
- Jessica Taylor, The Cook Political Report
- Christian Narvaez, President, Stand with Crypto Alliance NY
2:10 PM
Crypto in America: Interview with Rep. Dusty Johnson
Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) has been one of Congress’s leading voices on crypto legislation. He joins us in Chicago for a live taping of Crypto in America — on where the work in Washington stands and what comes next for digital assets in America.
- Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD)
- Jacquelyn Melinek, Crypto in America
- Eleanor Terrett, Crypto in America
- Gerald Gallagher, Crypto in America
2:40 PM
Networking Break
3 PM
Building DeFi Ecosystems
The instruments that move institutional capital are now being built for digital assets. How they’re designed, enabled, and accessed will shape who can participate and at what scale. This session will explore the groundwork, growth potential, and what’s coming next.
- Helen Fermor, ICE Clear U.S.
- Dave LaValle, CoinDesk Indices & Data
3:30 PM
Building On-Chain Infrastructure on Solana
Chicago built the modern derivatives market. Now a new generation of developers is rebuilding core exchange functions — order books, matching engines, clearing, and settlement — on public blockchains. A parallel shift is happening at the user edge: hardware teams are embedding secure-element key storage, on-device transaction signing, and native dApp access directly into consumer devices. This session brings together DeFi builders to discuss how onchain systems handle the functions commodity and derivatives professionals think about daily, how device-level custody reshapes execution and operational risk at the edge, and where the gaps and opportunities remain.
- Emmett Hollyer, Solana Labs
- Bartosz Lipinski, Cube
- Hue Rhodes, Ari Networks
- Benjamin Meeder, Co-Founder & CTO, Coinflow
- Moderated by Jenn Rosenthal, DeFi Education Fund
4 PM
Networking Break
4:20 PM
Heartland Onchain: The CLARITY Act, Tokenized Securities, and More
The CLARITY Act passed the House with bipartisan support — now the Senate has to act. Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-IL) and Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI), two of the bill’s House champions, join us in Chicago to discuss the path forward on digital asset market structure, tokenized securities, and what’s at stake for investors and innovators.
The CLARITY Act passed the House with bipartisan support — now the Senate has to act. Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-IL) and Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI), two of the bill’s House champions, join us in Chicago to discuss the path forward on digital asset market structure, tokenized securities, and what’s at stake for investors and innovators.
- Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-IL)
- Rep. Bill Huizenga (R-MI)
- Moderated by Declan Harty, Politico
4:50 PM
Closing Keynote
5:30 PM
Networking Reception
Find Hotels Solana Summit Chicago 2026