- Democratic senators asked Senate Banking leaders to delay the markup of the CLARITY Act, citing insufficient time to review the bill.
- The act includes a provision that would grant tokens underlying exchange-traded funds registered under Section 6 by Jan. 1, 2026, parity with Bitcoin and Ethereum.
- Tokens named include XRP, SOL, LIT, HBAR, DOGE, and LINK, which would avoid extra issuer disclosure requirements under that provision.
- Bitwise figures and market commentators warned the bill could affect market sentiment; one executive likened the bill to an early signal for the market’s direction.
- The total crypto market stood near $3.13 trillion and Bitcoin traded around $92,051 as the bill drew scrutiny.
Democratic senators Chris Van Hollen, Tina Smith, and Jack Reed asked Senate banking leaders to delay the markup of the CLARITY Act, saying they received the bill only two days before the scheduled session. According to posts on X, the senators called the timeline inadequate for “voting for the most significant law considered by the committee this century.”
The bill contains a provision that would treat any digital asset that is the underlying of an ETF listed on a national securities exchange and registered under Section 6 of the Securities Exchange Act as of Jan. 1, 2026, as a “non‑ancillary asset.” As noted on X, that status would exempt such tokens from additional issuer disclosure requirements that other projects might face.
The provision specifically identified tokens including XRP, SOL, LIT, HBAR, DOGE, and LINK as examples that could gain parity with top tokens. Lawmakers argued the short notice prevented adequate review before markup.
Market observers and industry figures commented on possible effects. Mark Hougan, Chief Investment Officer at Bitwise, called the bill the “Punxsutawney Phil of this crypto winter,” saying its failure could prolong downturns while passage might spur a recovery, according to his post on X. Ryan Rasmussen, Head of Research at Bitwise, reported that Polymarket users placed roughly an 80% chance on the CLARITY Act becoming law in 2026.
The total crypto market was about $3.13 trillion, and Bitcoin traded near $92,051, while retail sentiment on Stocktwits shifted from bullish to bearish and chatter stayed at normal levels.
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