CHANGELOG

Kelly Ann Collins, founder of SheCrypto, published an analysis arguing that the structural consequence of the venue choice extends beyond disclosure: women who opted out of the afterparty were excluded from the conference's primary networking opportunity — the room where deals, funding, and career relationships form. Collins frames this as a commercial issue as well as a cultural one, citing the 2026 State of Crypto Holders Report by the National Cryptocurrency Association: 42% of recent crypto purchasers are women, up from 34% among earlier adopters, and women control an estimated $31 trillion in global consumer spending. Collins also places the incident in a pattern of recurring industry behavior, citing a 2024 event at the S+DAS London conference where crypto custody firm Copper hosted a party featuring sushi served off the bodies of half-naked female models, as reported by The Times of London. Collins notes that as of May 19, CoinDesk has issued no public statement addressing the event.

The Guide has been updated to add a section on the professional exclusion dimension of the venue choice.

Velvet Capital's defiant card status removed. They issued a public LinkedIn statement (May 17) and responded privately to AWIC's May 15 letter. The email contained content not in the public statement:

"We have considered the concerns raised in your letter, including the referenced public communications and circumstances in which a person's association with Velvet may have been identified or reasonably understood. Velvet maintains expectations that public commentary on industry issues should remain professional, respectful, and consistent with the standards we expect from those associated with the company. We will not comment publicly on individual personnel matters. Any such matters are handled, as appropriate, through internal channels."
— Velvet Capital Team

Velvet remains in the Implicated section. No apology for the sponsorship itself was issued.

Sonia R. Martin, CEO of Dentons US LLP, responded formally to AWIC's May 15 letter. Card updated to reflect the disputed $90K figure and the additional AWIC response. Full correspondence:

"At the outset, we note that the letter includes some factual errors, including the highly inaccurate assertion that we paid $90,000 to sponsor the event. As we shared previously, our participation in an official event that was part of the Consensus 2026 Miami conference was regrettable and not consistent with our values. We are addressing the matter internally and taking steps to help prevent similar situations in the future. We would encourage you to consider the well-established record of our Firm's commitment to respect, dignity, and professionalism, of which we are proud."
— Sonia R. Martin, CEO, Dentons US LLP

Dentons remains in the Accountable section. Categorization unchanged.

ChangeNOW's PR team responded to AWIC's May 15 letter indicating a prepared statement exists but declining to share it without a guarantee it would be published in full and without edits. Full correspondence:

"We've prepared an official comment for the Association for Women in Cryptocurrency (AWIC). However, before sharing it, we would like to ensure that it will be used in full and without taking any parts out of context. Once we receive your confirmation on this, we will be happy to provide our response."
— Natalia L., ChangeNOW PR Team

No statement issued. ChangeNOW remains in the Implicated section with defiant status.

Fortune published coverage by Jack Kubinec confirming OKX's reconsidering of its Consensus sponsorship and Consensys's distancing statement. New on record: Brent Fulfer, co-founder of The Best Event (TBE), defended the party on X, stating "That's not 'bro culture' — that's adults making adult choices." Katherine Kirkpatrick Bos, General Counsel of StarkWare, wrote on X: "Consensus - great attendance, high-spirited vibes, an insane amount of elaborate side events, tradfi everywhere. On the closing party at a strip club, thanks, you've just made policy work — arguing that this industry isn't a bunch of crypto bros — much, much harder." CoinDesk did not return Fortune's request for comment. Article also contextualizes E11EVEN's history with crypto events dating to 2018.

The Financial Times published coverage documenting industry reaction to the Consensus 2026 afterparty controversy. OKX executive Elliott Suthers was quoted calling the event "immature and frankly borderline discriminatory," a "significant mis-step," and stating the industry should be moving toward "greater professionalism, inclusivity and credibility, not away from it." ChangeNOW, a named afterparty sponsor, was also quoted in the article describing the choice as being "open to more fun venues" for industry events, adding: "We see no need to excessively moralise about the situation."

As a result, OKX's card was updated to reflect their public distancing statement (displayed in green). ChangeNOW's card was updated with a red public statement block quoting the FT coverage and noting their dual role as both a conference-tier sponsor and an afterparty sponsor.