#clarity-act

#clarity-act

The CLARITY Act aims to define how cryptocurrencies are regulated in the U.S. by drawing a clear line between securities and commodities-ending the SEC-CFTC jurisdictional battle that has plagued XRP regulation for years. For XRP, the key provision declares it not a security by statute. The market structure bill defines "network tokens" outside securities law, including tokens that serve as the principal asset of a U.S.-listed exchange-traded product.

In a post on X, Armstrong cited several concerns, including what he described as a de facto ban on tokenized equities, new restrictions on decentralized finance that could grant the government broad access to users' financial data, and provisions that weaken the Commodity Futures Trading Commission while expanding the Securities and Exchange Commission's authority. "After reviewing the Senate Banking draft text over the last 48hrs, Coinbase unfortunately can't support the bill as written," Armstrong posted.

President Donald Trump has selected Michael Selig, chief counsel for the Securities and Exchange Commission's crypto task force, to chair the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Selig's nomination, first reported by Bloomberg, marks Trump's second attempt to fill the CFTC's top post, following the stalled nomination of Brian Quintenz, a16z crypto's global policy chief, amid opposition from Gemini co-founder Tyler Winklevoss. Selig, who serves as an aide to SEC Chairman Paul Atkins, has been instrumental in coordinating regulatory approaches between the SEC and CFTC on financial and crypto market oversight. The CFTC, which regulates futures, swaps, and prediction markets, is gaining greater prominence as Congress considers new crypto market structure legislation. Before joining the SEC, he was a partner at Willkie Farr & Gallagher, specializing in asset management. Selig's appointment will require Senate confirmation.

On Friday, the U.S. Senate Banking Committee released its latest draft of the CLARITY Act (CLARITY), in which it proposes an amendment to 18 U.S. Code § 1960(a) stipulates that only crypto developers or providers that "knowingly exercise control over currency, funds, or other value that substitutes for currency" be treated as money transmitting businesses. What is more, this amendment would not only protect Bitcoin and crypto developers in the wake of a bill with this language included in its passing, but it would also protect said developers retroactively. In Section 501 of section Title V of the draft, entitled "Protecting Software Developers and Software Innovation," it states that "This section, and the amendments made by this section, shall apply to conduct occurring before, on, or after the date of enactment of this Act."