The U.S. government has officially begun publishing gross domestic product (GDP) data on public blockchains. According to Bloomberg, the Commerce Department’s announcement on Thursday brings blockchain into the core of America’s economic reporting, making GDP available on nine networks including Bitcoin, Ethereum, and Solana.
Commerce officials emphasized that the blockchain rollout is not a replacement for traditional economic data releases, but rather “another avenue” for distribution, according to Bloomberg. The move, however, carries significant symbolic weight, as it effectively places the government’s seal of approval on technology once viewed with deep skepticism in Washington.
“The entire administration has embraced this,” said Mike Cahill, chief executive officer of Douro Labs, who confirmed he has been working with the Commerce Department on the initiative for the past two months. “With today’s announcement we are now in a world where government data lives on blockchains, and market participants can participate in real time.”
The blockchain initiative involves posting cryptographic hashes of GDP data, which serve as digital fingerprints to verify the information’s integrity. While limited in scope initially, Commerce Department officials confirmed that President Donald Trump’s administration intends to expand the program further, Bloomberg reported.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick spearheaded the project, telling Trump earlier this week that statistics would be issued via blockchain “because you are the crypto president.” Lutnick has previously suggested reshaping GDP reporting by removing the impact of government spending.
The initiative reflects a sharp departure from the prior administration. Under former President Joe Biden, regulators adopted a cautious stance toward crypto, often clashing with exchanges and imposing restrictions on digital assets. In contrast, Trump has moved quickly to integrate Bitcoin into government policy. Since taking office, he has created a U.S. Bitcoin reserve, stockpiled coins such as Ether and Solana, signed legislation regulating stablecoins, and appointed crypto-friendly regulators who ended enforcement actions against Coinbase.
Trump’s family has also deepened its presence in the digital asset space, backing ventures such as World Liberty Financial. The industry’s growing political clout is evident: crypto firms donated heavily to Trump’s reelection campaign and contributed over $133 million to super PACs supporting pro-crypto candidates in 2024, according to OpenSecrets.
By leveraging public blockchains, the Commerce Department joins other agencies experimenting with crypto technology. The Department of Homeland Security has considered blockchain for airport passenger screening, while California’s DMV has digitized car titles on crypto, according to Bloomberg.
As Trump positions himself as the “crypto president,” the adoption of blockchain for GDP distribution signals a profound shift in U.S. economic policy—and further cements Bitcoin as a powerful political and financial force in Washington.
