The US Senate Banking Committee has given the green light to the long-debated Clarity Act, a cryptocurrency regulation bill, with a decisive 15 to 9 vote. The law aims to establish a clear regulatory framework for the crypto market. In a strategic move during the vote, Committee Chair Tim Scott introduced last-minute amendments to broaden support, securing the backing of two Democratic senators.
Cryptocurrencies surge on positive sentiment
Developments surrounding the bill have fueled optimism across the cryptocurrency sector. Bitcoin rebounded after dropping earlier in the week, surpassing the $81,000 threshold following the release of US producer price index data. According to CryptoAppsy, Bitcoin traded at $81,055 in the Asian session, posting a 2.3% gain in the past 24 hours and a 1.9% increase over the week.
The altcoin market saw XRP take the spotlight. XRP jumped 4.5% to reach $1.49, making it the week’s best performer with a 7.6% gain. Dogecoin climbed 3% to $0.1159, BNB advanced 2% to $681, and Solana rose 2% to $91.
Legislative process for Clarity Act continues
The passage of the Clarity Act is seen as one of the most significant bipartisan moves regarding crypto market regulation in recent months. The next step is to merge it with a similar bill that previously passed the Agriculture Committee along party lines. Once consolidated, the bill will go to a vote on the Senate floor before heading to the House of Representatives.
Nonetheless, certain key provisions remain points of contention. Regulations concerning law enforcement engagement and ethical standards have been highlighted as prerequisites for gaining support from some Democrats. Observers note that these aspects will be critical for the bill’s future progress.
Market impact of regulatory framework
XRP’s strong recent performance is being tied to reduced regulatory uncertainty. For a long time, XRP faced intense price pressure due to a protracted lawsuit by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) against Ripple Labs. Now, as the market’s regulatory outlook becomes clearer, structural pressures on prices have eased.
Renna Ba, ecosystem lead at Layer-2 platform Morph, noted that the Clarity Act distinguishes payment stablecoins from investment vehicles, providing much-needed legal grounds for the global payments industry. This clarity is believed to boost confidence among crypto sector projects.
CK Zheng, co-founder of ZX Squared Capital, argued that these regulatory steps strengthen the view that the Bitcoin bear market ended in the first quarter. He pointed out Bitcoin’s recent correction of around 50% was much milder than the roughly 78% drop during the 2022 cycle. Zheng argued that Bitcoin is evolving into a more mature, less volatile asset class. He also highlighted the strong investor response, with $8.5 billion flowing into Bitcoin products and notable demand for the STRC preferred stock, which offers an 11.5% dividend yield.
Renna Ba emphasized that the Clarity Act “provides a long-awaited legal foundation for the global payments industry.”
Despite the upbeat sentiment, geopolitical and economic risks persist. US President Donald Trump’s statement that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is unnecessary led to a spike in oil prices, further fueling inflation concerns. The Asia Pacific stock indexes closed the day down 1.1%, while US equity futures dipped by 0.2%. The yield on US 10-year Treasury bonds rose by 4 basis points to 4.52%.
In Japan, producer prices posted their fastest annual increase since 2023, pushing the 10-year government bond yield up by 7 basis points. The dollar, meanwhile, strengthened for a fifth straight day amid ongoing global uncertainties.
