How Crypto Insiders Turned ‘Debanking’ Into a Political Storm

Concerns that crypto companies are being purposely cut off from the global banking system have become a political cudgel at an opportune moment for the industry.

Early last year, Ryne Saxe started fielding demands from banks that worked with his San Francisco-based start-up, Eco. They laid out a litany of new compliance and reporting requirements that Eco had to follow.

The problem? Eco was a cryptocurrency company, part of an industry facing heavy scrutiny from regulators. The banks said they were under pressure from government agencies to follow new guidance about crypto clients. Then Bill.com, Eco’s payroll provider, canceled the company’s account, citing a new policy, Mr. Saxe said.

After eight months of pressure, Mr. Saxe shut down Eco’s app and changed his business plan so that it did not rely on partnerships with banks. Eventually his Bill.com account was restored.

“It was like hell,” he said. “We were getting progressively debanked.”

For years, crypto start-ups like Eco have struggled to find and keep bank accounts in the United States, leading entrepreneurs to cry foul. In angry social media posts, they have accused the government of orchestrating a campaign to squelch the crypto industry, calling the crackdown unconstitutional and un-American. They have sued banking regulators and raised the issue with members of Congress.

Those concerns have reached a boiling point. Last month, Marc Andreessen, an influential venture capitalist, appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast, which reaches more than 10 million listeners, and accused Democrats of “terrorizing” crypto start-ups by pressing banks not to work with them. His complaints were amplified by Elon Musk, as well as crypto executives like Brian Armstrong, the Coinbase C.E.O., and Tyler Winklevoss, who said the government and the banking sector were engaged in “evil behavior.”