Poland's parliament has approved legislation to align the country's cryptocurrency market with the EU's Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) framework. The bill would give the Polish Financial Supervisory Authority powers to oversee the sector, impose sanctions, and temporarily block crypto accounts and transactions.

The Senate Banking Committee voted on May 14, 2026, to advance the Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act, bringing the U.S. closer to its first comprehensive law governing crypto market structure. A16z Crypto general counsel and head of policy Miles Jennings called the committee's bipartisan markup a milestone for the industry. He said the proposal builds on the GENIUS Act's stablecoin framework, enacted in July 2025, and could extend clearer protections for builders across a wider range of blockchain activity. Next, the bill heads to a full Senate vote. The Senate Banking Committee text is expected to be combined with a companion portion handled by the Senate Agriculture Committee into a single package. If the Senate passes the merged measure, it would move to the House. The House has already advanced its own version, HR 3633. That bill passed in July 2025 by a 294–134 vote, including support from 78 Democrats. A presidential signature would be required for final enactment. CLARITY reflects years of legislative efforts to define crypto oversight. Senators Cynthia Lummis and Kirsten Gillibrand introduced an early bipartisan framework in June 2022. FIT21 (the Financial Innovation and Technology for the 21st Century Act) cleared the House in 2024 with 279 votes, including 71 Democrats, adding momentum that helped drive Senate drafting through late 2025 into 2026. A central issue CLARITY seeks to address is the lack of clear jurisdictional lines between the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Jennings criticized what he described as "regulationbyenforcement," arguing that shifting interpretations have burdened responsible developers while leaving room for misconduct. The bill aims to set standards for when a digital asset is treated as a security versus a commodity, establish oversight rules for crypto exchanges, and add consumer protections for digital asset trading. Jennings also argued that blockchain networks should not be treated like traditional companies. He said companies rely on centralized control, while networks coordinate participants through shared rules without a single controlling party. Applying corporate legal frameworks to networks, he warned, can elevate intermediaries that capture value that would otherwise accrue to users. A16z Crypto pointed to ridesharing and music streaming as examples of platform models where operators collect most of the revenue while contributors receive a smaller share. In contrast, Jennings said blockchain networks can function as infrastructure governed by transparent rules and operated by participants, allowing value to flow to the edges rather than concentrate at the center. He cited the GENIUS Act as proof of what targeted crypto legislation can enable, saying its July 2025 passage coincided with measurable adoption gains and helped bring stablecoins deeper into mainstream use, including integrations involving AI agents. Jennings framed the competitive backdrop as urgent. The European Union's MiCA regime and the United Kingdom's crypto rules already provide more defined frameworks than the U.S., he said. While no jurisdiction has perfected regulation, he warned that clearer rules abroad could ultimately draw startups, capital, and jobs away from the United States. A16z Crypto said CLARITY is intended to counter that risk by giving builders a legal foundation to launch blockchain networks domestically, raise capital within U.S. borders, and operate without the structural compromises imposed by years of regulatory uncertainty. The firm said it plans to publish a more detailed builder-focused breakdown of what CLARITY does and does not cover once the bill reaches the Senate floor and final amendments are known.

The U.S. Senate Banking Committee approved the CLARITY Act, moving the crypto market structure legislation a step closer to a full Senate vote. The bill passed with support from Republicans and two Democrats, Sens. Ruben Gallego and Angela Alsobrooks, according to reports. The measure now heads to the Senate floor, where it will need at least 60 votes to advance. That implies backing from at least seven Senate Democrats. Industry leaders and regulators welcomed the committee action. Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong called it an "historic day," pointing to what he described as substantial changes since January across areas including stablecoin rewards, DeFi, CeFi and tokenization. Armstrong said Coinbase opposed earlier drafts and argued the pushback helped improve the final committee version. Ondo Finance also hailed the vote as a milestone for tokenization, saying clearer rules for tokenized assets could help bring in more institutional participation. SEC Chair Paul Atkins publicly congratulated the committee's leadership, and CFTC Chair Mike Selig said the vote moves the U.S. closer to becoming a global "crypto capital." Markets reacted positively. Bitcoin rose nearly 3% and moved back above $81,000, with broader crypto prices also higher. Despite the momentum, the bill faces key hurdles. Democrats are pressing for an ethics provision that would bar senior government officials from profiting from crypto while in office, a clause that could affect President Trump and his family given their reported involvement in multiple crypto projects. Republicans and the White House have opposed such language in the past, but sponsors may need a compromise to secure the votes required for passage. Gallego and Alsobrooks backed the bill in committee while negotiations over an ethics clause continue. Gallego warned he could oppose the bill later without stronger guardrails for elected officials. Sen. Elizabeth Warren reiterated her opposition, arguing the legislation could pose broader economic risks. Separately, some crypto advocates are urging lawmakers not to weaken developer protections tied to the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA), included in Section 301 of the CLARITY Act. Advocacy group Coin Center said those protections are essential for the future of DeFi and should not be traded away in negotiations.

Leaders of the House Agriculture Committee are calling on President Donald Trump to appoint commissioners to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), underscoring the agency's role as the Senate advances consideration of the CLARITY Act.

An escalating dispute over an ethics provision tied to former President Donald Trump's crypto interests is emerging as the main obstacle to advancing the CLARITY Act in the Senate, where the bill will need 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. Republicans control 53 seats, leaving sponsors dependent on at least seven Democratic votes for cloture. Lawmakers and analysts warn that the draft's lack of a conflict-of-interest provision could erode bipartisan backing. The current 309-page CLARITY Act text includes no conflict-of-interest language, a gap widely attributed to jurisdictional constraints at the Senate Banking Committee. Pressure is being driven by scrutiny of Trump family-related crypto activity, including involvement in World Liberty Financial and the TRUMP memecoin. A committee amendment offered by Sen. Chris Van Hollen that would have prohibited senior government officials from holding crypto business interests failed 11–13. At Consensus Miami 2026, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand said the bill "will not move without an ethics clause," arguing that absent safeguards, "greed and corruption in Washington" could harm the industry. White House crypto adviser Patrick Witt said ethics standards should apply broadly "from the president all the way down to the brand new intern on Capitol Hill," while rejecting efforts to target a specific officeholder. Cody Carbone, chief executive of the Digital Chamber, said reaching a negotiated package is likely necessary before the bill comes to the floor, noting lawmakers will want confidence the 60-vote threshold is attainable. Additional issues are weighing on negotiations. Two Democrats who backed the measure in committee — Sens. Ruben Gallego and Angela Alsobrooks — indicated their support depends on further progress on ethics. Banking trade groups continue to oppose the draft's stablecoin yield compromise, and law enforcement concerns remain unresolved. Senators still must settle the ethics dispute, address law enforcement issues, and respond to banking-sector objections before a floor vote. With the Senate calendar tightening ahead of the August recess and Coinbase calling bipartisan backing "nonnegotiable" at Consensus Miami, negotiators face a shrinking window to assemble a deal capable of clearing 60 votes.

Hyperliquid has stepped up its push in Washington as lawmakers debate how to regulate onchain derivatives. Co-founder Jeff Yan recently met with U.S. policymakers to argue that blockchain-based derivatives markets should be incorporated into the country's emerging regulatory framework, with discussions largely focused on the CLARITY Act. According to people familiar with the meetings, conversations zeroed in on the technical realities of how onchain trading functions, positioning the outreach as a policy education effort for legislators. The company also recently expanded its policy footprint in the capital. Hyperliquid launched the Hyperliquid Policy Center in Washington on February 18, led by Jake Chervinsky, who previously served as chief policy officer at the Blockchain Association. The group is intended to do more than hold congressional meetings, aiming to act as a conduit between DeFi trading markets and the traditional regulatory system. The CLARITY Act has emerged as the centerpiece of these exchanges. Hyperliquid's team believes there is an active window for integrating onchain derivatives into the U.S. regulatory structure. A key part of the Policy Center's work will be responding to criticism from established derivatives venues. Incumbents such as CME and ICE have raised concerns about risks posed by unregulated crypto trading platforms. Hyperliquid argues that onchain markets can deliver stronger transparency than traditional counterparts, since every trade, order, and liquidation on a blockchain-based system is publicly verifiable.

A last-minute Senate agreement has moved the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act a step closer to a full floor vote, after lawmakers rewrote key provisions on crypto oversight and banking rules. The Senate Banking Committee advanced the measure on May 14 by a 15–9 bipartisan vote, following hours of closed-door talks and multiple eleventh-hour edits to the draft. Crypto in America reported that the breakthrough came shortly after the hearing began, when senators resolved several disputed issues behind the scenes. Democratic Sens. Angela Alsobrooks and Ruben Gallego joined Republicans in backing the bill, helping secure passage out of committee. Negotiations had been under strain the night before the hearing, according to people familiar with the talks. While both parties made headway on ethics guardrails for government officials, the talks stalled late Wednesday over the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act — specifically, protections for noncustodial software developers. Republicans pushed back on Democratic revisions tied to money transmitter rules, leaving the final language unsettled heading into Thursday's hearing. Discussions continued Thursday morning as several pro-crypto Democrats met privately to weigh concessions. A Banking Committee staffer told Crypto in America that members were still negotiating as late as 10:29 a.m. Shortly after Chairman Tim Scott opened the hearing, Sens. Cynthia Lummis, Thom Tillis, Alsobrooks, and Gallego met in a committee anteroom to iron out remaining disputes while the public session continued. The final compromise adjusted amendments related to banking requirements, tokenization, insider trading, and consumer protections. Lawmakers also removed language tied to the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act from one section of the bill. Those changes helped win support from Gallego and Alsobrooks, though both emphasized that further negotiations are expected before a floor vote. "I want to be clear: my vote here does not guarantee a vote on the floor," Gallego said, citing unresolved issues. Democrats are still pressing for tougher ethics rules governing elected officials and crypto holdings. Gallego later described the talks as close to completion but not finished. Next, the bill is expected to be combined with language from the Senate Agriculture Committee before it reaches the Senate floor, as lawmakers work through remaining differences. Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Coin Edition is not responsible for any losses resulting from the use of any content, products, or services referenced. Readers should exercise caution before taking any action related to the company.

A Senate Banking Committee vote on Thursday delivered a fresh political signal on crypto regulation and briefly boosted XRP. The panel advanced the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (CLARITY Act) by a 15-9 vote, one of Washington's most significant proposals to reshape crypto market structure. XRP climbed above $1.50 following the news, rising about 5% over 24 hours and 7.6% for the week. That outpaced bitcoin and ether, each up less than 3% on the week. Why XRP moved more than other tokens XRP has been among the digital assets most exposed to U.S. regulatory uncertainty. The SEC's 2020 lawsuit against Ripple led to years of exchange suspensions, institutional hesitation and debate over whether XRP should be treated as a security. In 2023, Judge Analisa Torres narrowed the SEC's case by finding that secondary-market XRP trading was not subject to securities treatment, yet many institutions have stayed cautious in the absence of a clear federal framework. What the CLARITY Act is designed to do The CLARITY Act seeks to establish that framework. The bill would place more digital assets under a defined market-structure regime and spell out rules around custody, trading, market making and ETF allocation$$the type of guardrails large allocators typically require. Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse called the committee vote "the moment," writing on X that the industry should have "the same rules and protections as every other asset class." Next steps in Congress Committee approval is consequential but far from final. The Senate Banking version must be reconciled with a version from the Agriculture Committee, pass the full Senate, navigate House reconciliation and ultimately reach the president. Senator Cynthia Lummis said lawmakers agree on most of the text, while Senator Elizabeth Warren has raised objections to parts of the process. With Congress heading into the Memorial Day recess, supporters face a practical window to maintain momentum. On-chain and institutional tailwinds The regulatory lift arrives as investors point to tangible developments around XRP and Ripple: - Activity on the XRP Ledger has increased, and the network now hosts more than $3 billion in tokenized real-world assets, ranking it among the leading non-Ethereum networks for institutional tokenization. - A pilot involving Ripple, JPMorgan, Mastercard and Ondo Finance reportedly redeemed tokenized U.S. Treasuries in under five seconds, highlighting the potential to link public blockchain rails with traditional interbank settlement. - DeFi activity connected to XRP via bridged representations has grown to about $560 million in total value locked, led by projects including Flare and Doppler Finance. - U.S.-listed spot XRP ETFs took in $25.8 million of net inflows earlier this week, the largest single-day total since January, lifting cumulative inflows to $1.35 billion. - Ripple recently completed a $200 million debt facility for its Ripple Prime brokerage, signaling continued institutional traction. Some industry figures argue these are more than short-term price drivers. Alexis Sirkia, an early Ripple and Ethereum market maker who now leads decentralized clearing firm Yellow Network, told CoinDesk that "the real story of XRP in mid-2026 will not be its consolidating price, but the quiet, almost imperceptible rewiring of global finance," adding that the ledger is becoming "a compliance-grade tokenization and settlement layer" that could appeal to institutional capital. Legal certainty remains the key variable Even with the committee vote and recent business milestones, XRP is still well below its 2025 highs. The $1.50 zone remains a critical level that bulls need to reclaim decisively to sustain momentum. The CLARITY Act provided a near-term catalyst, but many market participants are likely to treat full federal legal clarity$$a durable ruleset passed by Congress and signed into law$$as the condition for a lasting bull run.

South Korea is preparing to roll out a full regulatory framework for tokenized securities, with detailed rules slated for release this summer as regulators work toward a February 2027 start date. The Financial Services Commission (FSC) said Friday it will present its tokenized securities framework in July at the second meeting of the public-private Token Securities Council, which was launched in March. The move follows the National Assembly's passage earlier this year of the Token Securities Institutionalization Act, amending the Electronic Securities Act and the Capital Markets Act. The law takes effect on February 4, 2027. Under the FSC's plan, qualified issuers would be permitted to issue tokenized securities using distributed ledger technology. These instruments would be tradable as investment contract securities via brokerages and other licensed intermediaries. The regulator plans to draft subordinate regulations and guidance to support the new regime, with FSC Vice Chairman Kwon Daeyoung stressing that the "upcoming token securities ecosystem must strike a balance between innovation and trust." The FSC is also developing a phased roadmap to tokenize standardized securities such as stocks and bonds and to support on-chain settlement, citing international best practices. On eligibility and permissible underlying assets, Kwon said the FSC would adhere to market order and investor protection while avoiding a "one-sided regulatory approach." Rules are expected to allow fractional investment securities by pooling underlying assets of the same type within defined limits. The FSC also plans to set trading limits for over-the-counter (OTC) venues, aiming to support early-stage liquidity while embedding investor safeguards so that restrictions do not hinder innovation. The tokenized securities framework is part of South Korea's broader digital-asset policy agenda, alongside long-delayed crypto tax legislation. The Income Tax Act provisions taking effect January 1, 2027 will impose a 20% income tax on crypto gains (about 22% including local taxes). The National Tax Service (NTS) has begun "full-scale preparations," including collecting exchange data to build a tax base, drafting taxpayer guidance, and setting capital gains calculation criteria. Efforts to repeal or delay the crypto tax—including a People Power Party bill and a petition with more than 30,000 signatures—are seen as unlikely to change the 2027 timeline, according to reports. Lawmakers have also called for stablecoin legislation to be prioritized; the measure has been stalled since late 2025 amid disagreements between the Bank of Korea and the FSC. Key dates - July: FSC releases the draft framework at the Token Securities Council meeting. - January 1, 2027: Crypto tax provisions under the Income Tax Act take effect. - February 4, 2027: Token Securities Institutionalization Act comes into force. If implemented as planned, the framework could broaden access to tokenized products in traditional capital markets, enable fractional ownership of stocks and bonds, and clarify compliance obligations for intermediaries and tax authorities. For exchanges, asset managers, and investors, the next 12–18 months will be pivotal as detailed rules, tax guidance, and market infrastructure are finalized.