Seven leading Ethereum protocols have formed the Ethereum Protocol Advocacy Alliance (EPAA) to defend and advance the decentralized ecosystem, securing over $100 billion in on-chain assets. The founding members include Aave Labs, Aragon, Curve, Lido Labs Foundation, The Graph Foundation, Spark Foundation, and Uniswap Foundation, representing a unified front amid rising regulatory scrutiny in the US and Europe.
The alliance aims to influence public policy by ensuring laws reflect how blockchain systems operate in practice, rather than misconceptions. "Decentralization is the foundation of Ethereum's credibility and resilience," said Sam Kim, Chief Legal Officer of Lido Labs Foundation. "Through the EPAA, we're ensuring that policy recognizes and protects this principle."
This initiative responds to escalating public adoption, with retail crypto portfolio allocations rising between 5% and 20% according to the Crypto Survey 2025 by Strategy & PwC. A recent poll by the DeFi Education Fund and Ipsos found that 56% of Americans are interested in self-custody, underscoring demand for intermediary-free transactions.
The EPAA champions four key principles: preserving protocol code neutrality, advancing on-chain transparency as a compliance tool, safeguarding innovation against rigid rules, and maintaining global permissionless access. Anthony Leutenegger, CEO of Aragon, noted, "We've seen firsthand the technical and practical complexity involved in building on-chain systems. Bringing together the most credible protocol teams will help ensure regulatory outcomes are workable for builders."
Collaborating with organizations like the DeFi Education Fund, Decentralization Research Center, and European Crypto Initiative, the alliance operates as a flexible, coalition-based entity without formal leadership or a fixed budget. Connor Spelliscy, Executive Director of the Decentralization Research Center, added, "Those who build decentralized systems should help shape the rules that govern them."
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