Treasury Veteran Joins Bitcoin Think Tank, Signaling New Policy Era

WASHINGTON, D.C. – March 10, 2026 – The well-trodden path between Washington D.C.'s federal agencies and its influential think tanks has a new, high-profile traveler, signaling a deeper integration of cryptocurrency into the nation's strategic policy framework. The Bitcoin Policy Institute (BPI) announced today that Sam Lyman, who recently served as senior advisor and chief speechwriter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, will be its new Head of Research.

The appointment is more than a simple personnel change; it represents a significant moment for the digital asset industry, underscoring a trend of seasoned government insiders moving into key roles to shape the future of Bitcoin and digital currency policy. Lyman brings a formidable resume, having navigated the highest levels of government and the private sector, placing him at the nexus of finance, technology, and national strategy.

"Sam is one of the sharpest policy minds in Washington," said Grant McCarty, Executive Director of BPI, in a statement. "He joins BPI at a moment when Bitcoin, stablecoins, and AI are becoming central to America's economic and geopolitical future." McCarty noted that Lyman's "combination of private-sector and government experience will be a major asset to our organization as we continue this phase of rapid growth."

From Government Insider to Policy Architect

Lyman's career trajectory illustrates the increasing professionalization of the digital asset advocacy space. Before his tenure at the Treasury Department, which began in April 2025 under the newly-appointed Secretary Bessent, Lyman was the Public Policy Director at Riot Platforms, a major player in digital asset and AI infrastructure. His resume also includes serving as chief speechwriter for the late Senator Orrin G. Hatch and holding a master's degree in public policy from Princeton University.

During his time at Treasury, Lyman was instrumental in crafting the administration's messaging on a host of critical digital asset initiatives. These included the landmark comprehensive stablecoin legislation, the proposed CLARITY Act, and the highly debated concept of a Strategic Bitcoin Reserve (SBR). His role was to translate complex financial and technological policies into coherent public-facing strategies, a skill set now aimed at BPI's research agenda.

This move is part of a larger "brain drain" from government to the crypto frontier, where policy experts see an opportunity to shape a nascent industry from the ground up. This influx of expertise is rapidly legitimizing the sector's lobbying efforts and giving organizations like BPI a more powerful voice in legislative debates.

The Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Takes Center Stage

At the heart of Lyman's past advocacy and BPI's current focus is the concept of a U.S. Strategic Bitcoin Reserve. The idea, which Lyman championed in national media during his time at Riot Platforms, proposes that the United States should acquire and hold Bitcoin as a national asset, similar to its gold reserves.

What was once a fringe idea gained significant momentum during the 2024 presidential campaign and became official policy in March 2025, when President Trump signed an executive order establishing the nation's first SBR. The order mandated that the U.S. would not sell its government-seized Bitcoin and would explore taxpayer-neutral ways to acquire more.

Proponents, including Lyman and BPI, argue that an SBR offers a powerful hedge against inflation, diversifies national assets, and provides a crucial geopolitical tool to maintain U.S. economic leadership. In his own words, Lyman framed the moment as critical for American leadership. "The next American century depends on our ability to continue to lead in emerging monetary networks like Bitcoin and stablecoins," he stated. "BPI is equipping our nation's leaders with the guidance and expertise they need to do exactly that."

However, the concept is not without its critics. Concerns about Bitcoin's notorious price volatility, its perceived lack of intrinsic value, and the potential for it to undermine the U.S. dollar's global dominance remain significant hurdles in the debate. Despite this, the trend is clear, with states like New Hampshire and Arizona already passing their own SBR bills, following the federal government's lead.

Navigating a Complex Legislative Future

Lyman joins BPI at a pivotal time for digital asset regulation. He will be tasked with guiding research that informs a series of crucial, and at times contentious, legislative efforts.

One of the most significant pieces of pending legislation is the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, or CLARITY Act. Having passed the House in July 2025 with strong bipartisan support, the bill aims to resolve the long-standing jurisdictional turf war between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) by defining which digital assets are securities and which are commodities. However, its progress has stalled in the Senate, leaving the industry in a state of regulatory uncertainty.

Meanwhile, the GENIUS Act, a comprehensive stablecoin bill, was signed into law in July 2025. This act established the first federal framework for U.S. dollar-backed stablecoins, setting strict reserve requirements and oversight rules. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) is now in the rulemaking process to implement the law, a delicate procedure that Lyman's BPI will be closely watching and likely influencing with its research.

The Next Frontier: AI and a New Economic Order

Beyond the immediate legislative battles in Washington, BPI's research agenda, now under Lyman's leadership, is looking toward a more distant and transformative horizon: the intersection of artificial intelligence and digital money.

A recent groundbreaking study from the institute found that autonomous AI agents, when programmed to make economic decisions, overwhelmingly prefer digitally-native money. The study showed AI favoring Bitcoin for long-term value storage due to its fixed supply and decentralization, while preferring stablecoins for transactional payments.

This finding suggests the emergence of a new, two-tiered monetary system driven by non-human actors and has profound implications for future policy. It raises complex questions about governance, accountability, and the very nature of money in an AI-driven economy. BPI is positioning itself to be the leading voice in this new frontier, and Lyman's appointment is a clear move to solidify that position.

As Lyman takes the research helm, his challenge will be to translate these complex, often futuristic concepts into the kind of clear, actionable policy guidance that Washington policymakers need. His journey from the halls of the Treasury to a think tank at the forefront of monetary evolution reflects Bitcoin's own journey from the fringes of the internet to the center of global economic and strategic discourse.