Uniswap founder Hayden Adams tells CFTC that US regulatory pressure pushed crypto builders overseas

Hayden Adams, the founder and CEO of Uniswap Labs, walked into a Washington, D.C., conference room on August 20 and told a panel of federal regulators something they probably didn’t love hearing: their own enforcement strategy has been an accelerant for offshore crypto development. At the inaugural meeting of the CFTC’s Innovation Advisory Committee, Adams argued that US regulatory pressure has pushed founders to set up shop in friendlier jurisdictions, giving international competitors the freedom to build faster and iterate without the constant threat of legal action. From enforcement target to advisory panelist Adams was appointed to the CFTC Innovation Advisory Committee back in February 2026, a move that signaled at least some willingness from regulators to hear directly from DeFi builders rather than just prosecuting them. That willingness came after a rocky stretch. In April 2024, Uniswap Labs received a Wells notice from the SEC, the formal “we’re probably going to sue you” letter that keeps crypto founders up at night. That notice was ultimately dropped in March 2025, but not before generating months of uncertainty for the largest decentralized exchange by volume. Separatel...