The United States accelerates the advancement of cryptocurrency regulation: Trump strongly promotes the CLARITY Act, while the SEC and CFTC synchronize their rule-making systems

This week, U.S. cryptocurrency policy has seen intensive progress. The Trump administration has pushed for new advancements in the CLARITY Act, the SEC has proposed a draft of regulatory rules for cryptocurrency assets for the first time, and the CFTC has stated that if congressional legislation stalls, it will promote the establishment of an independent regulatory framework for the cryptocurrency market. Trump met with leaders from several cryptocurrency companies at the White House this week and publicly called on Congress to pass a "fair version" of the CLARITY Act. Representatives from Coinbase, a16z, Ripple, Kraken, and other industry participants attended the meeting, focusing on the bill's impact on U.S. jobs, innovation, and attracting cryptocurrency companies back. Currently, the main obstacles to advancing the bill are concentrated on certain ethical clauses. Trump believes that the relevant provisions may target individuals, but industry insiders are pushing both sides to find a compromise to facilitate bipartisan support.

CFTC Chairman Mike Selig stated that the CLARITY Act is key to avoiding regulatory uncertainty. If Congress continues to delay, the CFTC will use its existing authority to formulate regulatory rules for the cryptocurrency asset market. Meanwhile, the U.S. SEC has officially proposed a "Crypto Assets Rule Framework," planning to allow certain cryptocurrency financing to be exempt from full securities registration under specific conditions, including a cumulative financing cap of $5 million over four years or an annual limit of $75 million, and providing conditional safe harbor for certain token projects. Additionally, the SEC is considering limiting certain state securities registration requirements to provide a clearer compliance path for U.S. cryptocurrency companies. Market participants believe that recent actions by U.S. regulators indicate that Washington is shifting from a previous enforcement-based regulatory model to establishing a systematic regulatory framework for cryptocurrency assets.

On the other hand, former Signature Bank Chairman Scott Shay has launched the N3XT Digital Dollar (NDD) digital dollar deposit project, attempting to challenge the stablecoin market. NDD operates on a public blockchain, enabling 24/7 dollar transfers, and is backed one-to-one by cash and short-term U.S. Treasury bonds. Shay stated that banks can leverage blockchain technology to create a payment system similar to stablecoins while maintaining the dollar credit advantage of the traditional financial system. The project is seen as a new attempt by banks to respond to the expansion of stablecoins. Additionally, the cryptocurrency investment market is entering a new cycle. Dragonfly partner Rob Hadick stated that although AI is attracting significant capital, cryptocurrency startup activity is still recovering, and future predictions of market, institutional applications, and improvements in U.S. regulation may drive new growth in the industry.