Recently, during a congressional hearing, Catherine Hao, a partner at a well-known investment firm, expressed a sentiment — without new regulatory frameworks being implemented every day, the US's innovative competitiveness in this field diminishes a little. It sounds a bit heavy, but it reflects the dilemma faced by the entire industry:

On one side is regulatory uncertainty; the market is waiting, and companies are observing. On the other side? Walrus Protocol chose not to sit and wait. Their approach is somewhat counterintuitive — instead of waiting for rules to be set before making adjustments, they are building now according to the strictest standards.

This may seem conservative, but upon reflection, it’s actually a brilliant move. When compliance becomes infrastructure rather than a patch added later, the product itself gains an additional layer of moat. While other projects are still groping in regulatory fog, they have already absorbed the risks into their architecture. This first-mover advantage may not be apparent in the short term, but it will be decisive in the long run.