Ripple CLO Stuart Alderoty: 67 Million Crypto Owners Are Not a ‘Rounding Error’

Ripple’s Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty has criticized Politico over its interpretation of a recent opinion poll, where the publication framed support for crypto legislation as “only 27%,” arguing that the figure actually represents 67 million American adults who already own digital assets. According to him, that same percentage cited as a sign of weak public backing for crypto regulation reflects one of the country’s biggest voter groups, therefore challenging the idea that crypto supporters are a niche audience. In a July 6 opinion piece on RealClearMarkets, Alderoty argued that the 27% from the Politico survey was about the same number as that quoted in the National Cryptocurrency Association’s 2026 State of Crypto Holders Report of 1 in 4 adults who own crypto in the country. That translates to about 67 million people. “The framing of ‘only 27 percent’ treats a quarter of the American adult population as a rounding error,” Alderoty wrote. “That is a mistake. Sixty-seven million people are not asking Washington to do them a favor. They are asking their government to do its job.” He pointed out that the number that had joined crypto in the past year, about 12 million per the NCA’s report, was as big as the combined populations of New York City and Los Angeles, moving the ratio from last year’s 1 in 5 to the current 1 in 4. He also noted the demographic changes stated in the 2026 industry study, saying 42% of new holders are women, which pushed female ownership up by 10% year over year. That growth alone, in his opinion, makes it difficult to dismiss the industry as politically insignificant. According to Politico, 45% of Americans believe digital currencies are not worth the risk, while 25% considered it worthwhile. Only 9% of respondents said they would trust a crypto platform over traditional banks with their money, compared to 47% who were in support of the traditional financial institutions. But Alderoty claimed that those findings did not suffice as evidence of public rejection. “A majority of Americans think the stock market is risky…Risk aversion is not the same as rejection,” he explained, adding that “69% of holders say they trust crypto, a higher share than the 65% who say the same of traditional banking.” The debate comes as the CLARITY Act missed the White House’s July 4 signing target, leaving lawmakers with limited time before the August recess to complete work on the crypto market structure legislation. As CryptoPotato reported previously, the Senate Banking Committee

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