‘Congress must pass the Clarity Act’ – U.S. Treasury Secretary’s plea decoded

ambcryptoPublished on 2026-04-09Last updated on 2026-04-09

Abstract

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent urges Congress to pass the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, arguing that clear federal rules are essential to prevent the relocation of crypto development to jurisdictions like Abu Dhabi and Singapore. He warns that regulatory uncertainty in the U.S. makes the risks of operating there outweigh the benefits. The call is supported by Senator Cynthia Lummis, who believes the act would serve as a "safe harbor" for innovation. However, prediction market Polymarket indicates the odds of the bill passing by 2026 have recently dropped to 57%. Despite this, key industry figures, including Coinbase's Chief Policy Officer, express confidence that legislative progress will be made.

The discussion around the CLARITY Act is intensifying day by day, and in a recent turn of events, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has also stepped in.

Urging Congress, Secretary Bessent has demanded the passage of the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act. Introduced in 2025, the bill is still finding common ground with both the crypto industry and the banking community, but consensus remains elusive.

Remarking on the same, Bessent said,

Congress must pass the Clarity Act. Senate floor time is scarce, and now is the time to act.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent’s point of argument

As reported by The Wall Street Journal, the Secretary drew comparisons with other countries, calling for clear federal rules for digital assets. This, in turn, he believes, would enable widespread developments and efficient investment, crucial for the largest economy by nominal GDP to prevail.

Comparing the U.S. with other countries, Bessent added,

A growing share of crypto development relocated to places ​with clear rules, such as Abu Dhabi and Singapore. Abroad, firms knew ​when and how to register, what standards to meet, and how to operate.

Highlighting the risks in the U.S., he summed it up best when he said,

The benefits of domiciling in the U.S. rarely outweighed the risks.

Needless to say, this isn’t the first time Bessent has stepped in to highlight the importance of clear rules in the digital assets space. Back in February, he had underlined that the bill would provide “great comfort to the market” in times of volatility.

Market conditions and others in support

Echoing similar sentiments, Senator Cynthia Lummis also noted,

We have the Administration, the momentum, and we’ve made bipartisan progress.

Lummis believes that the law is a one-pot solution for “developers, validators, and node operators.” And, once approved, the Act would work as “a safe harbor” to keep innovations anchored in the U.S.

All this comes on the heels of the crypto market fluctuating between $2 trillion and $3 trillion – thanks to increased volatility.

Polymarket odds

Meanwhile, the Polymarket odds for the passage of the CLARITY Act stood at 57% at the time of publication. However, if looked at carefully, the odds have dropped by 9% from their previous high, seen just weeks ago.

Source: Polymarket

At the same time, Coinbase’s Chief Policy Officer (CPO) also added to the ongoing demand when he noted,

Source: X

This marks an interesting plot twist as Coinbase had recently stepped back from a recent compromise met on the CLARITY Act.

However, after the subtle threats between the White House and Coinbase, Coinbase’s CLO, Paul Grewal, turned bullish on the Act and put it best when he noted,

I’m very confident we’re going to see progress.

What’s more?

Additionally, a new report from the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers also highlighted that letting stablecoins offer yield isn’t a major threat to banks.

Thus, with so much optimism and understanding, it remains to be seen whether the CLARITY Act will be approved this year or get locked up in legislative headwinds.


Final Summary

  • The discussions around the CLARITY Act are heating up with Secretary Bessent now urging Congress to pass the Act.
  • Polymarket odds drop below 60%, adding more uncertainty to the passage of the bill by 2026.

Related Questions

QWhat is the main demand made by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in the article?

AScott Bessent demanded that Congress pass the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act to establish clear federal rules for digital assets.

QAccording to Bessent, why are some crypto firms relocating to places like Abu Dhabi and Singapore?

ABecause these locations have clear rules, where firms know when and how to register, what standards to meet, and how to operate.

QWhat are the current Polymarket odds for the passage of the CLARITY Act, and how have they changed recently?

AThe Polymarket odds stand at 57%, which is a 9% drop from their previous high seen just weeks ago.

QWhich U.S. Senator expressed support for the CLARITY Act, and what did they call it?

ASenator Cynthia Lummis expressed support, calling the Act a 'one-pot solution' for developers, validators, and node operators, and a 'safe harbor' to keep innovations in the U.S.

QWhat was the stance of Coinbase's Chief Legal Officer, Paul Grewal, on the CLARITY Act after recent developments?

APaul Grewal turned bullish on the Act and expressed confidence, stating, 'I’m very confident we’re going to see progress.'

Related Reads

Xiaohongshu's Second Great Voyage, This Time Sailing Towards AI

Xiaohongshu's Second Voyage: Navigating Towards AI Since ChatGPT's emergence, Xiaohongshu's founder Mao Wenchao has been acutely aware of AI's potential threat, recognizing that the life advice people seek from chatbots overlaps directly with his platform's core business. Founded in 2013 as a PDF shopping guide for Chinese tourists, Xiaohongshu evolved into a massive community where millions share authentic, personal experiences—from product reviews to travel tips. This vast repository of "I've tried this" human judgment became its most valuable asset. However, the rise of AI, which delivers instant answers, challenges the very need for users to sift through numerous personal notes. Fearing its treasure trove of lived experience could become mere training data for others, Xiaohongshu is proactively adapting. In 2026, it established a dedicated AI division (Dots), launched RED Skill to turn user experiences into usable AI tools, and acquired the AI search product "Diandian." Its investments now extend to AI firms like MiniMax and hardware startups, moving upstream to address needs before they even become search queries. The platform's commercialization strategy is also evolving. With a newly acquired payment license and tools like the AIPS model to track consumer decision journeys, Xiaohongshu aims to seamlessly integrate recommendations with transactions, embedding commerce within AI-generated answers. Yet, a critical tension remains. While building smarter machines to organize and leverage its human experiences, Xiaohongshu must prevent AI from drowning out the authentic, flawed, and trustworthy "I've tried this" voices that built its community. Its core challenge is to harness AI's power without letting the map—the machine's perfect, synthesized answer—replace the territory of genuine human experience. This balance between technological advancement and preserving human trust defines its current journey and its future.

marsbit8m ago

Xiaohongshu's Second Great Voyage, This Time Sailing Towards AI

marsbit8m ago

SharpLink CEO: How to Understand Ethereum Developers Just Exceeded 1 Million?

SharpLink CEO reflects on the milestone of Ethereum surpassing 1 million historical developers, emphasizing that this figure represents the largest pool of technical talent ever assembled around an open, permissionless blockchain network. While approximately 232,000 developers remain active, the key question for the crypto industry is not which chain is fastest, but where the best builders choose to build long-term. Ethereum's advantage lies in a decade-long accumulation of infrastructure, standards, tools, liquidity, and a cohesive culture, making it the default operating system for programmable finance. This developer base is tackling complex challenges: the Glamsterdam upgrade aims to enhance scalability while preserving core principles; synchronous composability seeks to unify Rollup ecosystems; and significant efforts are underway for post-quantum security. Ethereum's deeper network effects stem from composability and shared standards (like the EVM and Solidity), creating a flywheel of more developers, tools, and liquidity. Three reinforcing strengths cement Ethereum's lead: credible neutrality (secured by ~900k validators), a modular architecture with interconnected Rollups, and a culture that attracts top researchers. The ecosystem is consolidating as the trusted coordination layer for internet-native finance, favored by large institutions valuing security and liquidity. The future of Ethereum is being built by this global community of founders and architects.

链捕手22m ago

SharpLink CEO: How to Understand Ethereum Developers Just Exceeded 1 Million?

链捕手22m ago

A Clod of Chinese Soil Chokes Two Japanese Giants

"Chinese Soil Chokes Japanese Giants" The production of a key electronic specialty gas, tungsten hexafluoride (WF6), vital for manufacturing AI chips, was halted by two leading Japanese producers—Kanto Denka and Central Glass. Their shutdown was not due to a technological failure but a sudden, critical shortage of a raw material they had long taken for granted: ultra-high-purity (6N-grade) tungsten powder, which is almost entirely sourced from China. Following a quiet Chinese export announcement in January 2026, tungsten powder shipments to Japan dropped to zero for months. Despite frantic efforts, Japanese companies found no viable alternative; imported powder was three times more expensive and lacked the required purity. Their existing stockpiles were exhausted by mid-2026. WF6 is essential for depositing tungsten into the microscopic contact holes of High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) chips, which are crucial for advanced processors like those from Nvidia. While Japanese firms had mastered producing ultra-pure WF6 gas, their entire supply chain relied on China's 6N tungsten powder—a dependency now revealed as a fatal vulnerability. China's dominance in this "soil" results from decades of painstaking R&D by companies like Xiamen Tungsten and China Tungsten & Hightech. They overcame immense technical hurdles, such as separating chemically similar molybdenum from tungsten, to achieve mass production of the world's purest tungsten powder. With their primary suppliers gone, Kanto Denka and Central Glass announced a permanent halt to WF6 production starting July 1, 2026. This immediately created a supply crisis for major semiconductor manufacturers like Samsung and SK Hynix, forcing them to urgently seek and certify new Chinese suppliers for WF6 itself. The reversal marks a dramatic shift: China has moved from exporting low-value raw materials to controlling the high-purity foundation of a critical global tech supply chain, upending a long-established industrial hierarchy.

marsbit53m ago

A Clod of Chinese Soil Chokes Two Japanese Giants

marsbit53m ago

Trading

Spot
Futures
活动图片