CLARITY Act Gains Momentum as SEC, CFTC Align and Senate Advances Crypto Rules

ccn.comPublished on 2026-02-18Last updated on 2026-02-18

Abstract

U.S. lawmakers and regulators are advancing efforts to establish a clearer regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies. The CLARITY Act (Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025), which has passed the House and gained reported White House backing, aims to resolve the long-standing jurisdictional stalemate between the SEC and CFTC. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has urged Congress to pass the bill "this spring." Key developments include the Senate Agriculture Committee advancing its own market-structure bill, which builds upon the CLARITY Act. Furthermore, SEC Chair Paul Atkins announced that the SEC and CFTC are coordinating through "Project Crypto" to develop a clearer token classification approach, serving as a bridge until legislation is enacted. The push seeks to provide predictability for crypto exchanges, brokers, and issuers by defining regulatory oversight and reducing reliance on enforcement-driven interpretations. The end goal is a negotiated legislative package that creates a more stable and defined U.S. crypto framework.

Key Takeaways

Reported White House backing is refocusing attention on the CLARITY Act as Congress debates crypto market structure.
SEC Chair Paul Atkins said the SEC and CFTC are coordinating via “Project Crypto” as a bridge toward legislation.
The Senate Agriculture Committee advanced a separate market-structure bill it says builds on the House-passed CLARITY Act.

U.S. lawmakers and regulators are ramping up the push for a clearer crypto rulebook as the Senate advances market-structure legislation and the SEC signals deeper coordination with the CFTC ahead of potential reforms.

According to reports, the White House is backing the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025 (H.R. 3633) , framing the move as an attempt to break the SEC–CFTC stalemate that has shaped crypto oversight for years.

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Feb. 13 that Congress should pass CLARITY “this spring,” as the administration pushes for a clearer market structure for digital assets.

Try Our Recommended Crypto Exchanges

Bitget

promotions

New user rewards up to 6,200 USDT.

Coins

Claim Offer

Bitunix

promotions

Receive up to $100,000 worth of exclusive gifts for newcomers upon registration.

Coins

Claim Offer

ChangeNow

promotions

Receive 0.4% of the volume from each transaction with your referral link.

Coins

Claim Offer

Explore All Offers

House Passed CLARITY Act, Senate Is Next

The CLARITY Act is already a House product.

The bill text on Congress.gov lays out a framework for regulating digital assets across the SEC and CFTC, with the core objective of clarifying who oversees what in U.S. spot markets.

That makes the Senate the next gate: committee markups, cross-committee negotiations, and whether leadership schedules a market-structure package for a floor vote.

What the Bill Would Change

The bill is designed to reduce the industry’s reliance on enforcement-driven interpretation by creating clearer categories and compliance expectations for intermediaries.

For exchanges, brokers, issuers, and market makers, the prize is predictability.

This means fewer gray-zone listing decisions and a more stable understanding of which regulator is in charge of which activity.

SEC and CFTC Say They’re Coordinating

At a House hearing on Feb. 11, 2026, SEC Chair Paul S. Atkins told lawmakers he supports Congress enacting the CLARITY Act.

He described a joint SEC–CFTC effort dubbed “Project Crypto.”

Atkins said the effort would work toward a clearer token classification approach and would serve as a bridge while legislation moves through Congress.

That coordination matters because implementation is often where market-structure bills bog down.

When agencies start aligning publicly, it signals they expect something durable to emerge from Capitol Hill.

Senate Agriculture Advances a Parallel Framework

The Senate Agriculture Committee said on Jan. 29, 2026, it advanced the Digital Commodity Intermediaries Act.

They describe it as legislation that builds on the House-passed CLARITY Act and incorporates provisions negotiated with Senate Democrats.

The takeaway is that the Senate is not starting from scratch.

The likely endgame is a negotiated package that uses CLARITY as the backbone, with Senate-side additions to secure votes and address consumer-protection concerns.

What To Watch Next

The near-term catalysts are procedural: Senate committee markups, Banking–Agriculture coordination, and whether leadership gives market structure floor time.

For now, the direction of travel is clearer than it has been in years: reported White House backing, active Senate drafting, and explicit SEC–CFTC coordination are all pointing toward a more defined U.S. crypto framework, just not on a fixed timeline yet.

Top Picks for Bitcoin

Best Exchanges for Bitcoin Get A Great Offer When You Join These Exchanges
Buy Bitcoin Fast & Easy How To Buy Bitcoin With a Credit Card Now
Best Online Casinos for Bitcoin See Our Picks for the Best Crypto Gambling Sites

Must-Watch Events Next Week｜CLARITY Act Could Face Senate Vote; SpaceX, Circle to Report Earnings (8.3-8.9)

**Summary: Key Events and Developments to Watch (August 3-9)** The upcoming week is marked by significant financial disclosures, key legislative deadlines, and notable product updates. **Major Financial Events:** Several companies are scheduled to release their Q2 2026 earnings. American Bitcoin (ABTC) will report on August 3, followed by SpaceX and Hut 8 Mining Corp. on August 4, and Circle on August 5. Notably, a significant portion of SpaceX shares (up to 12% of total shares) will be unlocked on August 6 following their earnings release. **Key Legislative Deadline:** The U.S. Senate faces an August 7 deadline to secure 60 votes for the CLARITY Act, a bipartisan bill aiming to establish a federal regulatory framework for cryptocurrencies. The Senate may hold a full vote on the bill during the week. **Economic Data:** The U.S. July Non-Farm Payrolls report will be released on August 7, providing crucial labor market data. **Technology & Product Updates:** * **Shutdowns:** DeFi portfolio tracker Zapper and wallet app Ctrl Wallet will cease operations on August 3. * **Upgrades:** LayerZero will deprecate its v1 relayers on August 3. XRP Ledger's new version 3.3.0, featuring five new functions, is expected next week. * **AI:** Elon Musk announced that the advanced Grok 4.6 AI model is set for release around August 7. * **Bitcoin:** The BIP-110 forced signaling for a potential Bitcoin network change is scheduled to begin around August 8. **Other Notable Events:** Chinese robotics firm Unitree Tech has set its preliminary price inquiry for its IPO for August 5. South Korean exchange Upbit will delist AQT and AERGO tokens on August 3.

marsbit20m ago

Must-Watch Events Next Week｜CLARITY Act Could Face Senate Vote; SpaceX, Circle to Report Earnings (8.3-8.9)

marsbit20m ago

Stocks Are Plummeting More Sharply Than Cryptocurrencies. Where Has the Money Gone?

Stock Markets Plunge Deeper Than Cryptocurrencies: Where Did the Money Go? In late July, Seoul's Kospi index triggered circuit breakers for two consecutive days, plummeting over 40% from its June high. The collapse was led by heavyweight stocks like SK Hynix, whose record profits still disappointed investors, and devastating leveraged ETFs, with one major product losing over 83% of its value. This signaled a global, forced deleveraging targeting the most crowded trades. Interestingly, while stocks exhibited extreme volatility akin to crypto markets, Bitcoin rose nearly 15% in July after a prior steep drop. Analysis shows the money fleeing equities did not flow into Bitcoin. Instead, Bitcoin had already absorbed its sell-off in May-June, when U.S. spot Bitcoin ETFs saw historic outflows. The true safe-haven beneficiary was gold, whose price rose over 20% year-on-year, highlighting a decoupling between Bitcoin and gold as "digital gold." The sell-off was a targeted unwinding of leveraged positions in tech and semiconductors, accelerated by broker-dealer risk management and shifts in the AI narrative, including new competition from Chinese memory chipmakers. The retreat path was clear: from high-valuation tech stocks to cash and U.S. Treasuries, then to gold. For Bitcoin to attract sustained institutional inflows, conditions like eased global liquidity pressure, a "soft-landing" Fed rate cut, and U.S. regulatory clarity via legislation like the stalled CLARITY Act are needed. Currently, Bitcoin is not a safe haven but an already-cleared asset. Its low correlation with tech stocks, however, makes it a potential diversification play for institutional portfolios once the storm passes. The money isn't here yet, but the positioning is underway.

marsbit20m ago

Stocks Are Plummeting More Sharply Than Cryptocurrencies. Where Has the Money Gone?

marsbit20m ago

In Conversation with Ray Dalio: We Are Currently in an AI Bubble, with 1% of My Portfolio in Bitcoin

Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, warns in an interview that the current AI boom shows classic bubble characteristics, which could lead to significant economic downturns as seen in past cycles like 1929 or 2000. He explains that speculative enthusiasm, fueled by debt and overvaluation, often precedes a crash when rising rates or taxation force asset sales, causing widespread losses and recession. Dalio also outlines his "Big Cycle" theory, describing an approximate 80-year pattern where widening wealth gaps, massive government deficits, and shifting geopolitical power (like China's rise) create internal conflict and global instability. He emphasizes that we are in a late-cycle, transitional phase where traditional powers like the US and UK face decline. For personal wealth protection, Dalio advises diversification beyond cash into assets like stocks, bonds, real estate, and particularly gold, which he prefers over Bitcoin. While he holds about 1% of his portfolio in Bitcoin as a non-printable hard asset, he views gold as more secure from technological or governmental threats. Regarding AI's impact, Dalio believes it will disproportionately benefit capital owners, worsening inequality by replacing both physical and cognitive labor. He suggests that human intuition and emotional intelligence, combined with AI, will be key for future workers. On taxation, Dalio argues that wealth taxes are impractical and risk triggering asset sell-offs, reducing productive investment. He points to the UK as a cautionary example of debt, low productivity, and political strife. Geopolitically, Dalio foresees a more regionalized world, with the US showing weakness in prolonged conflicts like with Iran, akin to past imperial declines. The ideal outcome, he suggests, is coexisting powerful blocs (e.g., Americas, China-Asia Pacific) without major war.

marsbit4h ago

In Conversation with Ray Dalio: We Are Currently in an AI Bubble, with 1% of My Portfolio in Bitcoin

marsbit4h ago

Daily 7.2 Trillion KRW: Foreign Capital's Record Net Buying on Friday! Wall Street Says Headwinds for Korean Stock Fund Flows Have Subsided

South Korean stock market sees a dramatic shift in fund flows. On July 31, foreign investors made a record net purchase of approximately KRW 7.2 trillion in KOSPI stocks, marking a fundamental reversal from the persistent large-scale net outflows seen in previous months. This contributed to a significant narrowing of foreign net selling in July to KRW 9.8 trillion, down sharply from KRW 48.4 trillion in June and KRW 44.5 trillion in May. Simultaneously, domestic institutional pressure eased. South Korean pension funds and asset managers turned to a net buying position in July, purchasing KRW 1.0 trillion worth of KOSPI shares, contrasting with net sales in May and June. Market volatility is expected to be dampened by new financial regulations. Effective July 31, the Financial Services Commission tightened access for retail investors to single-stock leveraged ETFs by raising the minimum cash deposit requirement. Trading volumes for these products subsequently dropped to about 50% of their monthly average. Citigroup Research maintains its year-end KOSPI target of 10,000 points. The firm cites several supportive factors: the substantial easing of headwinds from capital outflows, a robust fundamental outlook for the semiconductor sector, historically low market valuations, strong economic fundamentals, and the potential for policy support from financial authorities if needed.

marsbit4h ago

Daily 7.2 Trillion KRW: Foreign Capital's Record Net Buying on Friday! Wall Street Says Headwinds for Korean Stock Fund Flows Have Subsided

marsbit4h ago

Breaking! OpenAI's Next-Gen AI Solves 10 Fields Medal-Level Problems

OpenAI's next-generation AI model Astra achieves breakthroughs in 10 long-standing mathematical conjectures. The results, including constructing the first known infinite, finitely presented non-sofic group—resolving a major question since 1999—and advancing the high-dimensional sphere packing problem beyond a 46-year-old barrier, are detailed in a 249-page paper. Key proofs have been formally verified using Lean 4. The AI also refuted a rigidity conjecture by Fields Medalist Alain Connes. According to OpenAI, generating these proofs cost under $2,000. Experts describe the findings as potentially Fields Medal-worthy and a landmark moment for both mathematics and AI, showcasing the model's ability to produce profound, human-like reasoning across diverse fields like group theory, geometry, and operator algebras.

marsbit5h ago

Breaking! OpenAI's Next-Gen AI Solves 10 Fields Medal-Level Problems

marsbit5h ago

Trading

Spot

CLARITY Act Gains Momentum as SEC, CFTC Align and Senate Advances Crypto Rules

Abstract

Bitget

Bitunix

ChangeNow

House Passed CLARITY Act, Senate Is Next

What the Bill Would Change

SEC and CFTC Say They’re Coordinating

Senate Agriculture Advances a Parallel Framework

What To Watch Next

Related Questions

Related Reads

Must-Watch Events Next Week｜CLARITY Act Could Face Senate Vote; SpaceX, Circle to Report Earnings (8.3-8.9)

Stocks Are Plummeting More Sharply Than Cryptocurrencies. Where Has the Money Gone?

In Conversation with Ray Dalio: We Are Currently in an AI Bubble, with 1% of My Portfolio in Bitcoin

Daily 7.2 Trillion KRW: Foreign Capital's Record Net Buying on Friday! Wall Street Says Headwinds for Korean Stock Fund Flows Have Subsided

Breaking! OpenAI's Next-Gen AI Solves 10 Fields Medal-Level Problems

Trading