Why It Matters

Athena Bitcoin has terminated its federal lobbying contract with Government Relations Group LLC, according to a Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) termination filing signed Sunday, July 26, covering quarter two of 2026. The filing reports no lobbying income, no general issue area codes, no lobbyists, and no specific issues lobbied, formally closing an engagement that had continued through quarter one of 2026.

By The Numbers

The termination filing discloses $0 in lobbying income for quarter two of 2026. Athena Bitcoin reported $15,000 in lobbying spending in quarter one of 2025, and has spent $111,500 over the past five years, including $51,500 across the last four quarters. Government Relations Group LLC remains active with 23 clients, 75 active LDA disclosures, and $93,000 in lobbying revenue over the past quarter.

Broader Context

Athena Bitcoin's lobbying centered on finance legislation, filed under two issue area codes, banking and financial institutions/investments/securities. Michael Kesti, President/CEO/Chair of Government Relations Group LLC, was the sole lobbyist listed on the account across the firm's Athena Bitcoin filings.

Kesti continues to represent other clients at the firm, including Costa Farms LLC, which disclosed lobbying on tariffs in quarter four of 2025 under agriculture and trade issue codes.

The termination follows a period of intensifying scrutiny of the company. The D.C. attorney general sued Athena Bitcoin in September 2025, alleging the company charged undisclosed fees on its Bitcoin ATMs and failed to protect consumers from scams.

Bottom Line

Athena Bitcoin spent modestly on D.C. representation and appears to have stopped spending entirely before formally ending the arrangement. That leaves the company without a disclosed federal advocacy footprint at a moment when Congress is actively legislating on digital assets and when the company is defending itself against consumer protection claims at the state level. Whether Athena Bitcoin re-engages with a new registrant, and on what issues, will be the signal to watch in the quarter three filing window this October.

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