For reasons that should be fairly obvious, most cryptocurrency innovators have shied away from the Washington, D.C. circuit.And one could argue that they were justified in doing so. After all, with cypherpunk, libertarian leanings among early enthusiasts and a flurry of controversial press surrounding these technologies, not to mention rumors of subpoenas being handed out by regulators, are perhaps good reasons to continue flying below the radar.But given its vision of creating a blockchain-based meta-economy that meshes with legacy institutions, it’s imperative that Sweetbridge take a different approach. In order to acquire real-world licenses and the ability to transfer real-world assets, etc., interfacing with and educating governments, elected officials and regulators is a critical component to building out the Sweetbridge ecosystem.In March, Sweetbridge embarked on an all-out Washington push, making two separate trips to meet with policymakers on Capitol Hill, regulators, the White House, industry groups and representatives from think tanks and academia who are closely tracking the rise of the blockchain industry.Sweetbridge’s (from left to right) Caroline Lynch, Scott Nelson and Will Munsil meet with Rep. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona outside her office in Washington, D.C. (via Twitter)One of the highlights was the opportunity to meet with Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, who represents Arizona’s 9th Congressional District — which covers the northern and eastern reaches of the Phoenix metropolitan area. Sinema, who is running for Arizona’s open Senate seat in 2018, was quite keen to learn about the innovation that is occurring in her home state.Also on Capitol Hill, Sweetbridge met with Congressional Blockchain Caucus staffers and representatives from key committees on both the House and Senate sides. The emphasis of these briefings was to highlight not just blockchain technology’s capabilities as a decentralized trust mechanism and means of value transfer, but as an agent for catalyzing economic growth in distressed regions around the world.Off the Hill, the team had informational meetings with staff from multilateral financial institutions — including the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and Inter-American Development Bank, several think tanks that are exploring blockchain and cryptocurrencies for use in international development and trade associations that are knee-deep in the technology like the Chamber of Digital Commerce and Government Blockchain Association.Inaugural Washington SweetMeetSweetbridge also continued its global SweetMeet event series on March 5 at the National Union Building in downtown Washington. The event drew upwards of 80 attendees from the D.C. blockchain community, ranging from practitioners to representatives of foreign governments to hobbyists just looking to learn more about the technology.Sweetbridge CEO Scott Nelson presents at Washington, D.C. SweetMeet on March 5, 2018Caroline Lynch, Sweetbridge’s public policy advisor and head of Copper Hill Strategies, kicked off by giving an overview of the current regulatory hurdles, such as the state-by-state money transmission licensing framework, that stand in the way of continued development of the cryptocurrency industry in the United States.Sweetbridge CEO Scott Nelson then described in-depth his vision for a blockchain-based economy that facilitates payments without the use of money and the ability to give oneself interest-free loans against the value of existing assets, leading into a vibrant Q&A and mingling session that lasted until 11pm when the venue closed.The D.C. month ended with a visit by Scott Nelson and legal advisors to the Securities and Exchange Commission, an enlightening event highlighted by Scott in his post “Why don’t we talk to the SEC?” here.Why don’t we talk to the SEC?Overall, the multi-pronged effort plowed important ground for Sweetbridge as it continues to emerge as a blockchain leader not only in the intellectual reaches but also in the trenches. Given the importance of building relationships and keeping an ear to the ground in the nation’s capital, Sweetbridge will certainly be returning and continuing to build its presence and serve as an advocate for the broader blockchain community across Washington, D.C.Sweetbridge Mounts Multi-Pronged Washington, D.C. Push in March was originally published in Sweetbridge on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.