DeFi Education Fund Urges Senators To Reject Proposed Amendments In Crypto Bill Markup

bitcoinistPublished on 2026-01-15Last updated on 2026-01-15

Abstract

The DeFi Education Fund is urging the Senate Banking Committee to reject specific proposed amendments to a new crypto market structure bill, warning they could harm the DeFi ecosystem and software developers. Key concerns include #42 (Reed, Kim), authorizing Treasury to sanction smart contracts; #45 (Reed), creating a new digital asset definition under the Bank Secrecy Act; and #47 (Reed), removing a provision on unlicensed money transmission. Amendments #72 and #73 (Cortez Masto) aim to narrow developer definitions and expand FinCEN's authority, while #74 and #75 could stifle growth by prohibiting transactions with unlawful protocols. Amendment #104 (Warren) would strike a key distribution carve-out for crypto. The fund argues these changes pose significant risks to innovation and operational flexibility in the decentralized finance space.

As the Senate Banking Committee prepares to mark up the newly proposed draft of the crypto market structure bill, the DeFi Education Fund has released a list of amendments it strongly urges senators to oppose.

In a recent post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), the organization expressed concerns that the descriptions of the draft indicate potential harm to decentralized finance (DeFi) and could negatively impact software developers.

Red Flags Emerge From Crypto Market Structure Bill Draft

In its message, the DeFi Education Fund emphasized the importance of safeguarding the integrity of the emerging DeFi landscape and called on senators to consider the far-reaching consequences of these proposed changes.

Among the amendments highlighted were Amendment #42, proposed by Senators Reed and Kim, which seeks to authorize the Treasury to sanction smart contracts and centralized platforms involved in illicit activities.

This amendment raised significant red flags for advocates who worry about its implications for innovation and operational flexibility within the decentralized finance ecosystem.

Another amendment of concern, Amendment #45 by Senator Reed, aims to create a specific definition for digital assets under the Bank Secrecy Act.

Similarly, Amendment #47, also from Senator Reed, intends to remove a provision related to federal criminal offense concerning unlicensed money transmission.

These changes, according to the DeFi Education Fund, loom dangerously over the operational landscape for developers and financial institutions that interact with digital assets.

Stifling DeFi Growth

Additionally, Senators Cortez Masto’s proposed amendments, specifically #72 and #73, aim to narrow the definition of non-controlling developers and expand the authority of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) alongside the Treasury for blockchain-enabled platforms.

Amendments #74 and #75 further seek to strengthen existing laws related to money transmission and prohibit transactions involving unlawful DeFi protocols, which the Fund suggests could stifle the industry’s growth.

Amendment #104, proposed by crypto-skeptic Senator Elizabeth Warren, also drew attention by striking a key distribution carve-out for crypto offerings.

This follows similar calls by Summer Mersinger, CEO of the Blockchain Association, who recently claimed that the “Big Bank Lobby” is pushing Congress to change key provisions of the already enacted GENIUS Act concerning stablecoin rewards, further highlighting the current state of the future of crypto in Congress.

The daily chart shows the total crypto market cap recovery above $3.2 trillion. Source: TOTAL on TradingView.com

Featured image from DALL-E, chart from TradingView.com

$9.4 Billion: The Largest Robotics Funding This Year Has Emerged

Munich-based humanoid robotics company Neura has completed a $1.4 billion (approximately RMB 94.9 billion) Series C funding round, valuing the company at around $7 billion and positioning it among the global leaders in the sector. The investment round is notable not just for its size—reportedly the largest in robotics this year—but also for its strategic backers, which include tech giants like NVIDIA and Amazon, alongside established industrial players such as German engineering firms Bosch and Schaeffler. This mix of investors signals a significant shift in the industry's focus from technological demonstrations and general-purpose narratives toward practical, industrial deployment and commercialization. Neura's approach centers on developing humanoid robots for defined, high-value industrial tasks rather than pursuing a general-purpose model. Its early validation comes from a partnership with BMW, where its robots are being tested on actual production lines. The involvement of Bosch and Schaeffler, companies deeply embedded in global manufacturing, underscores a growing belief that humanoid robots are transitioning from labs to viable factory-floor solutions. The article highlights two converging trends driving investment: advancements in AI and large language models, which enhance robots' perception and decision-making in unstructured environments, and mounting pressure from labor shortages and rising costs in major manufacturing regions. The funding landscape is now bifurcating between companies like Figure AI, focusing on versatile general-purpose robots, and firms like Neura, targeting specific vertical industrial applications with clearer, shorter paths to ROI. While technical hurdles remain, the core challenges for widespread adoption are increasingly seen as engineering and commercial in nature: managing the high integration and customization costs for different factory environments and establishing robust, localized maintenance and service networks. The record investment in Neura, particularly from industrial capital, indicates the industry's growing confidence in moving from proving feasibility to solving the practical problems of scalability, reliability, and building sustainable business models around humanoid robots in real-world settings like automotive manufacturing and hazardous labor environments.

marsbit4h ago

$9.4 Billion: The Largest Robotics Funding This Year Has Emerged

marsbit4h ago

Coinbase And Ethena Launch High Yield USDC Vault Powered By Morpho

Coinbase has launched a new High Yield USDC Vault in collaboration with Ethena Labs and powered by Morpho, curated by Steakhouse Financial. This marks the first live product from the Coinbase-Ethena partnership, offering Coinbase users access to enhanced yields through a simplified interface. Unlike Coinbase's more conservative vaults, this product accepts a broader collateral mix, including synthetic assets like Ethena's USDe, which allows for higher potential returns but introduces greater risks related to collateral behavior and market dynamics. The annual percentage yields (APYs) are dynamic and not guaranteed. The launch underscores a trend of centralized exchanges packaging complex DeFi strategies into user-friendly products, expanding access while highlighting the need for clear risk disclosure. The vault is currently available to eligible users in the U.S. (excluding New York) and select international markets.

bitcoinist8h ago

Coinbase And Ethena Launch High Yield USDC Vault Powered By Morpho

bitcoinist8h ago

Anthropic Pre-IPO Market Falls After US Directive Forces Model Shutdown

The U.S. government directed Anthropic to globally suspend access to its Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5 AI models for all foreign nationals, citing national security concerns. The emergency export control order followed reports of a non-universal jailbreak vulnerability. Anthropic pushed back, arguing the government provided only verbal evidence of a narrow prompt technique to find minor, known software flaws, and warned that applying such a standard broadly could halt new model deployments across the frontier AI industry. The directive impacted Anthropic's pre-IPO market valuation, with a key perpetual contract falling 3.7%. This highlights how AI regulation is becoming a tradable event, as crypto-linked instruments allow rapid speculation on regulatory news. The incident underscores the integration of AI infrastructure into speculative markets, where valuations can react instantly to government actions, often faster than public evidence emerges.

bitcoinist10h ago

Anthropic Pre-IPO Market Falls After US Directive Forces Model Shutdown

bitcoinist10h ago

Exploit Wallet Converts Stolen Tokens Into 18,510 ETH And 1,548 BNB

An exploit-linked wallet has reportedly converted stolen assets into 18,510 ETH (approximately $30.83 million) and 1,548 BNB ($924,000). According to on-chain tracking data cited by WuBlockchain and Lookonchain, the attacker sold compromised "H tokens" to obtain these more liquid assets and still holds an additional 111.36 million H tokens worth about $14 million. This conversion into major cryptocurrencies like ETH and BNB is a common step after an exploit, as attackers move from illiquid, traceable tokens toward deeper, more liquid assets. This consolidation can signal potential next steps, such as moving funds through bridges or mixers, and complicates recovery efforts for security teams. While blockchain analysis provides real-time visibility into such transactions, the identity of the wallet controller often remains uncertain. The data serves as a valuable snapshot of fund movement, highlighting the role of on-chain monitors in tracking security incidents before official investigations are complete.

bitcoinist12h ago

Exploit Wallet Converts Stolen Tokens Into 18,510 ETH And 1,548 BNB

bitcoinist12h ago

"119 to 176 Dollars": Behind SpaceX's Listing, MSX Once Again Successfully Executes the Pre-IPO Closed Loop

Following May's 300% gain on Cerebras, MSX delivered another outstanding performance during SpaceX's listing night. On June 12, SpaceX (SPCX) launched on Nasdaq, reaching a high of $176. This marked the successful culmination of MSX's Pre-IPO project launched in March, where users subscribed at $119, achieving gains of approximately 40-48%. This event validated MSX's complete Pre-IPO mechanism, a crucial advantage in a market where access to top-tier private company equity is typically limited to institutions. MSX's model provides a full cycle for users: subscription (at $119 for SpaceX), real-time on-chain portfolio tracking, optional early redemption, seamless conversion to tradable spot assets (SPCX.M) upon IPO, and final settlement in stablecoins. This end-to-end process distinguishes MSX from platforms that faced settlement issues during the SpaceX IPO, highlighting that the core challenge of Pre-IPO is not just access, but a clear exit and conversion path post-listing. This success with SpaceX is MSX's second major Pre-IPO verification, following the Cerebras listing in May, which yielded ~300% returns for early participants. These back-to-back achievements demonstrate MSX's capability to source, structure, and deliver real assets through a replicable on-chain model. The true barrier for Pre-IPO products lies not in providing an entry point, but in ensuring reliable fulfillment from subscription through to post-IPO liquidity. MSX's proven闭环 (closed-loop) process addresses this, offering Web3 users a structured way to access high-growth, pre-public companies in sectors like AI and frontier tech. MSX plans to continue expanding its Pre-IPO portfolio with this focus on authenticity, transparency, and post-listing execution.

Odaily星球日报17h ago

"119 to 176 Dollars": Behind SpaceX's Listing, MSX Once Again Successfully Executes the Pre-IPO Closed Loop

Odaily星球日报17h ago

Trading

Spot

Futures