PwC expands its U.S. crypto push: audit, tax, and advisory

PwC US chair Paul Griggs said this in a Financial Times interview. In his view, the firm is more comfortable leaning in as Washington offers clearer direction and the risk of abrupt pushback against firms serving the sector has come down.

PwC points to the federal stablecoin bill known as the GENIUS Act as a key signal. The proposal outlines baseline expectations for dollar-pegged payment tokens, including reserve requirements, custody rules, and disclosure. Griggs expects a stablecoin framework to encourage banks and large corporations to issue their own tokens and to speed up the discussion around tokenizing real-world assets. For auditors, that can mean more engagements tied to reserve attestations, internal-control testing, and risk advisory.

PwC stresses that the demand is not coming only from crypto-native startups. The firm says it is seeing interest from traditional businesses that view stablecoins as a way to move money faster and at lower cost in specific payment corridors, and as a tool for tighter liquidity management. At the same time, companies are asking for help with the tax consequences of token activity and with the accounting treatment of digital assets. Another tailwind is a shift in tone at the SEC: chair Paul Atkins has argued for rules that companies can plan around.

PwC also acknowledges that scaling up requires new people and new processes. After high-profile collapses and scandals in the industry, auditors are taking a tougher look at compliance, ownership structures, key management and custody practices, and sources of funds. Griggs said the firm built up its capabilities over roughly 10 to 12 months, including partner-level hires. One of the names he mentioned was Cheryl Lesnik, a digital-assets specialist.

PwC is already landing new mandates. Public bitcoin miner Mara Holdings appointed PwC as its independent auditor for the fiscal year that ended on December 31, 2025. Competition within the Big Four is also picking up: Deloitte has long audited Coinbase’s financials, while KPMG and EY continue to market compliance and risk-management services for companies working with digital assets.