As crypto becomes ever more mainstream and intersects with traditional finance and bureaucracies, cultural clashes are inevitable. After all, bitcoin promised to separate money from the state, while crypto evolved as a means of transacting peer-to-peer, uncensored, permissionless ways on alternative rails.

So, how can these worlds–the orthodox and the blockchain-built alternative–possibly align? That remains to be seen, but recent news of the formation of a new organization called the MiCA Crypto Alliance is an example of differing approaches crossing and perhaps clashing.

Just to recap, MiCA (Markets in Crypto-Assets) regulation is a comprehensive framework of EU crypto rules that appears to indicate an acceptance of the crypto industry within EU countries that will soon have harmonized regulation. It went into force in June 2023, but is being applied through a phased approach, with the expectation that all rules should be in effect by the end of 2024.

The MiCA Crypto Alliance is a new organization established by the DLT Science Foundation (DLT means distributed ledger technology) in partnership with major crypto companies Hedera, Aptos Foundation, and Ripple. The Alliance aims to assist crypto companies (such as exchanges) in complying with MiCA and places a strong emphasis on adherence to environmental and climate-related regulations.