
The Republican-led Senate Banking Committee on Thursday advanced the long-awaited CLARITY Act, a landmark bill aimed at creating regulations for cryptocurrencies after months of delays caused by tensions between crypto firms and banks.
The bill, which was advanced with support from two Democrats, will now proceed to the full Senate, setting the stage for a fierce lobbying fight.
Expert notes that it marks a significant moment for the global crypto industry as it seeks to provide long-awaited regulatory clarity to a sector that, despite over 40% of Americans already having exposure to digital assets, has operated for more than a decade without a clearly defined legislative framework.
Quick answers to key questions
The CLARITY Act is a landmark bill advanced by the US Senate Banking Committee aimed at creating regulations for cryptocurrencies. It's significant because it shifts the conversation from uncertainty to structured policymaking, providing a clearer legislative framework for a sector that has operated without one for over a decade.
The CLARITY Act's advancement signifies a global move towards formal market structure frameworks for crypto. This gives India an advantage as it can learn from various global regulatory playbooks, like those from Europe, Singapore, and the UAE, to build its own rules.
India should avoid replicating any single jurisdiction's rules. Instead, it should build crypto regulations that are tailored to fit its large market, strong fintech ecosystem, digital infrastructure, and growing base of retail investors.
Countries that provide regulatory clarity are more likely to attract innovation, institutional participation, talent, and capital. Clearer frameworks are essential for long-term capital allocation and industry growth as institutional participation in crypto increases.
The CLARITY Act proposes to establish the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as the primary regulator for large parts of the crypto industry, while the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) would retain authority over digital securities.
What makes this development important is that the conversation is now shifting from uncertainty towards structured policymaking, says Ashish Singhal, Co-Founder at CoinSwitch
“As institutional participation in crypto continues to increase through ETFs, traditional finance integration, and broader market adoption, clearer frameworks become essential for long-term capital allocation and industry growth,” he adds
The market sees the CLARITY Act as a sign that US crypto regulation is entering a more mature phase that could eventually shape global digital asset rules.
Steven McWhirter, Global Policy Lead at Binance, comments, “While the legislative process remains ongoing, we recognise the importance of continued bipartisan efforts between policymakers, regulators and industry participants to help bring forward a balanced and workable framework for digital assets that supports responsible innovation while reinforcing high standards around consumer protection, market integrity, transparency and financial crime compliance.”
For India, developments like the CLARITY Act are important because global crypto regulation is now moving from fragmented enforcement towards formal market structure frameworks.
“Over the last few years, we have seen multiple major jurisdictions, including Europe through MiCA, Singapore, the UAE, Hong Kong, and now the U.S., create clearer operating pathways for digital asset businesses. While the approaches differ, the broader direction is becoming increasingly consistent: bringing crypto into regulated financial infrastructure rather than treating it as a parallel system,” Coinswitch co-founder adds
This gives India a meaningful advantage because the country now has multiple global regulatory playbooks to learn from instead of building policy frameworks entirely from scratch.
Singhal advices while creating its own framework should avoid replicating any one jurisdiction, but to build crypto rules that fit its own large market, strong fintech ecosystem, digital infrastructure, and growing base of retail investors.
“Over the long term, countries that provide regulatory clarity are more likely to attract innovation, institutional participation, talent, and capital in the digital asset economy.”
Sanchari Ghosh is an Assistant Editor at Mint with over 12 years of experience in journalism, specialising in personal finance, DLT & DeFi, geopolitics and foreign policy, with a particular emphasis on how these areas intersect. <br> She writes extensively about how money works in everyday life—helping readers navigate personal finance decisions. <br> As AI reshapes investing behaviour, capital is increasingly flowing into decentralized ecosystems, redefining how assets are managed, traded, and valued. She focuses on explaining how money flows within frameworks like Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT), DeFi protocols, and crypto markets—while also exploring what the future of money could look like in a trustless, programmable financial world. <br> She also focuses on immigration-related issues, simplifying complex topics around visas, passports, overseas financial planning, and the many practical challenges Indians face while moving or living abroad. <br> Alongside personal finance, Sanchari has a strong understanding of international politics, contemporary and historical conflicts, and global state decisions. She closely tracks how geopolitical developments influence economies, markets, and individual financial choices, bringing together finance and global affairs in her reporting. <br> She began her career as a desk editor, which gave her a strong foundation in news writing. Over time, her interest naturally shifted toward personal finance. Before joining Mint in 2020, she worked DNA, The Times of India, Outlook Money, BloombergQuint, and ETMoney. At Mint, she got an opportunity to expand her coverage to include immigration and geopolitical developments while continuing to closely follow personal finance trends and market movements.As a journalist, she is committed to accuracy, intellectual rigour, and fairness. <br> She is an English Major and her work took her across cities including Delhi, Mumbai, and Pune. Living independently from an early age gave her firsthand experience in managing life and money on her own. This practical exposure sparked her strong interest in personal finance. <br> Outside the newsroom, Sanchari is a sports enthusiast who regularly plays lawn tennis and squash. In her younger years, she was also a national-level badminton player.
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