Web3 The community had a lot to say about the CLARITY Act, which went into effect this week.
“After a small rally on CLARITY Act news yesterday, Bitcoin ran out of steam very quickly. Despite institutional buying through ETFs, the $82,000 resistance level proved insurmountable.
“Regulatory news has mostly been priced in, but geopolitical and macro headwinds have not – mostly because the situation remains so uncertain. Markets are still hoping that Hormuz will reopen in time for the summer season, but Bitcoin is stuck in a holding pattern until that happens.”
“The $82,000 level is an important level to break if we are to see a rally towards $90,000, but positive regulatory news alone will not get Bitcoin there. It all depends on US-Iran negotiations, which could cause volatility once again over the weekend.”
– Nic Puckrinco-founder Office Corner
“Legislative windows are closing quickly. If CLARITY loses momentum before the midterms, the path becomes much more difficult: committee dynamics, House control, and political bargaining around crypto market structure may change. That doesn’t mean the bill isn’t valid forever, but it does mean that the U.S. risks expanding regulatory uncertainty at the very moment when agencies want clearer rules.”
“Banks are concerned about deposit migration and the impact on lending, especially for community banks. These are legitimate questions. But the White House CEA analysis shows that the lending benefit of a broad stablecoin yield ban is much smaller than some rhetoric implies, while the cost to consumers and market competitiveness could be significant. The issue should not be framed as banks versus crypto. It should be framed as how the digital dollar can coexist with deposits, money market funds, and other cash-like instruments within a transparent, regulated system.”
– encryption CEO Antoine Scalia
“CLARITY’s big shift signals that the stablecoin rail is increasingly being organized like a banking rail. This matters because card rail is expensive (exchange carries 2-3% plus flat fees) and stablecoins now have a real opening to capture a share of small-value digital goods payments for which these economies never made sense in the first place.
“But there is an elephant in the room: KYC, AML and sanctions monitoring on the custodial side still need a lot of help to run at the scale and speed that this track implies. That’s actually where we’re focusing on t54 – using AI agents to do compliance work that human-led operations teams can’t keep up with.”
– Chandler Femalefounder t54
“The Digital Asset Market CLARITY Act is expected to accelerate the adoption of crypto payments by providing businesses with a clearer and more predictable regulatory framework for digital assets. By reducing uncertainty around token classification and compliance obligations, the legislation reduces a key barrier to institutional adoption and enables payment providers to establish with greater confidence.
“DoorDash’s recent decision to integrate stablecoin payments demonstrates how these assets are rapidly evolving from niche crypto instruments to mainstream financial infrastructure. By replacing fragmented regional payment systems with blockchain-based payments, platforms can reduce transaction friction, improve liquidity for merchants and underwriters, and enable faster, more efficient cross-border transfer of value.”
– Joshua KimCEO and founder DonaFi
“I think the biggest impact of the CLARITY Act is that it provides businesses with a clearer rulebook. Over the years, many merchants have wanted to accept crypto, but legal uncertainty has made it seem like more trouble than it’s worth. If you don’t know whether a token is considered a security or a commodity, your compliance team will say no.”
“The CLARITY Act helps solve this problem. It creates more predictable definitions and oversight, which makes it easier for payment companies to build products with some confidence. So, basically, businesses can start accepting stablecoins and other digital assets without worrying that the rules could suddenly change. For merchants, this is huge because it reduces risk, eliminates hesitancy, and makes crypto payments feel like a practical option rather than a regulatory gamble.”
– Ivan Patriarch, co-founder QuantMap
“VCs do not necessarily take the opposite side of this argument, but instead tend to support the CLARITY Act for investor reasons. Increased regulatory clarity reduces certain regulatory risks. As a result, VCs can have greater confidence in their digital asset business models and their ability to scale and ultimately achieve exit opportunities. This is a net positive for VCs and the industry, as it will allow capital to be deployed more efficiently across the industry.”
– Emily Goodmanpartner FS Vector
“Bipartisan advancement of the CLARITY Act out of Committee brings the United States back into the global race for digital assets leadership.
“This bill would subject the $3 trillion global digital asset market to U.S. rules rather than allowing overseas migration. It would create a comprehensive federal framework that allows financial institutions and other digital asset market participants to responsibly engage in digital asset activities – outcomes every American should want.”
“As CCI has previously highlighted, approximately 88% of centralized exchange volume occurs offshore. Only 19% of crypto developers remain in the US, a decline of 51% over the past decade. Trading that takes place offshore is testing the reach of US anti-money laundering, sanctions and counter-terrorism financing tools.
“Under U.S. rules, more onshore activity means greater ability to detect bad actors and protect consumers. The Openness Act directly addresses this issue by, among other things, codifying AML requirements, expanding investigative authority, clarifying enforcement obligations, regulating crypto kiosks, and more.”
“Clear and durable rules will help drive greater institutional and retail adoption, drive innovation, create more quality jobs in the US, protect Americans, and ensure our country leads when it comes to digital assets policy and innovation.
“Momentum and progress are strong. The House previously passed its version 294 to 134, with 78 Democrats voting in favor. The Senate Agriculture Committee passed its portion of the market structure legislation in January. Now the Senate Banking Committee has done the same with support from both Republicans and Democrats.”
– Innovation Crypto Council CEO Ji Hun Kim
