lawmakers

According to the Wall Street Journal, several U.S. lawmakers are calling for an investigation into the prediction market platform Polymarket, as its advertising is alleged to potentially contain misleading content.It is reported that the lawmakers believe Polymarket may not clearly disclose the nature of its products and associated risks in its marketing, which could mislead users. Some legislators have requested regulatory agencies to intervene and assess the compliance of its advertising and information disclosure standards.

According to Cointelegraph, South Korean police recently raided the cryptocurrency exchange Bithumb to investigate independent lawmaker Kim Byung-gi for allegedly using his influence to secure a job for his son. It is reported that Kim's son joined Bithumb in January 2025 and worked for about six months. The police are investigating whether there was any external pressure or special treatment during his hiring process.Additionally, the case also involves Dunamu, the operator of South Korea's largest cryptocurrency exchange Upbit, with the investigation scope expanding from simple recruitment issues to potential power rent-seeking and interest transfer. Investigators pointed out that while serving as a member of the South Korean National Assembly's Administrative Committee, Kim Byung-gi had repeatedly questioned Dunamu during meetings, raising suspicions about whether he was trying to benefit the company where his son worked.It is understood that the police had previously questioned executives from multiple cryptocurrency companies and had conducted searches at Bithumb's headquarters and Bithumb Financial Tower to gather evidence. Kim Byung-gi himself is under investigation for 13 charges, including employment arrangements, bribery for nominations, and requests related to university transfers, and he stated that he believes he will ultimately be able to prove his innocence.It is worth noting that Bithumb has recently faced ongoing regulatory pressure. In March of this year, South Korea's financial regulatory agency imposed a fine of approximately $24.5 million on Bithumb for KYC and anti-money laundering (AML) violations and issued a six-month partial business suspension order. However, a South Korean court temporarily suspended the enforcement of the penalty at the end of April, and the relevant legal procedures are still ongoing.

According to Bitcoin News, U.S. Congressman Nick Begich has introduced the "U.S. Reserve Modernization Act," which already has 16 original co-sponsors. The bill will establish a strategic Bitcoin reserve, integrate federally held digital assets, and lock them in as long-term reserve assets for at least 20 years.The bill also explores budget-neutral Bitcoin acquisition strategies while protecting the reserves from future government and congressional liquidation efforts. The media commented that the strategic Bitcoin reserve established by Trump through an executive order will be formally enshrined in law by the "U.S. Reserve Modernization Act."

According to CoinDesk, bipartisan lawmakers Steven Horsford, Max Miller, Suzan DelBene, and Mike Carey jointly reintroduced the "Digital Asset Protection, Accountability, Regulatory, Innovation, Taxation, and Revenue Act" (also known as the "Equality Act") this Wednesday. The new version of the bill mainly covers the following points: first, it stipulates that regulated payment stablecoins do not generate gains or losses if the cost basis is not less than 99% of the redemption value; second, it establishes a safe harbor for broker-dealer transactions or taxpayer account transactions; third, it clarifies that "wash sale" rules apply to digital assets; fourth, it requires the IRS to assess the current tax burden of small cryptocurrency transactions and to study the feasibility of establishing a tax exemption for transactions under $200 and the potential risks of abuse.The cryptocurrency industry has long advocated for tax exemptions on small transactions to promote the use of cryptocurrencies in everyday payment scenarios. Lawmaker Horsford stated that tax policy is the foundation of the cryptocurrency regulatory framework, and that current tax laws have not clearly addressed many core issues related to digital assets.

According to Cointelegraph, U.S. Republican lawmakers are calling for a permanent ban on central bank digital currencies (CBDCs) in the upcoming vote on the "21st Century Housing Act" in the House of Representatives. Congressman Mike Flood stated that the House's revised bill aims to overturn the "implicit green light" for CBDCs, making the ban permanent. If the bill passes the House, it will return to the Senate for possible further revisions. Congressman Warren Davidson supports the permanent ban and believes that the 2030 expiration date effectively gives CBDCs a pre-launch development period. House Majority Whip Tom Emmer is also promoting his "Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act," which passed the House last July but has not yet been approved by the Senate. Emmer warned that if the U.S. adopts a CBDC, privacy and economic freedom will cease to exist.

According to crypto journalist Eleanor Terrett, on the eve of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee's review of the "Clarity Act," committee members submitted over 100 amendments last night. The DeFi advocacy organization @fund_defi characterized some of these amendments as "anti-DeFi amendments," believing they would harm the rights of DeFi technology, users, and developers, and called on supporters to urgently lobby senators to oppose them.It is reported that the aforementioned amendments were jointly proposed by Democratic senators Cortez Masto, Andy Kim, Chris Van Hollen, Warren, and Jack Reed, targeting the core DeFi protection provisions in the bill, including the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA), non-controlling software developer protections, DeFi front-end protections, tokenization provisions, and proposed expansions of BSA/AML compliance obligations for developers and digital asset businesses.

Kevin Warsh stated at the Senate hearing that digital assets "have become a part of the U.S. financial system" and supports their inclusion in the financial system to provide more opportunities and protections for investors.This statement is seen as a signal of a relatively open policy towards the cryptocurrency industry should he become the chairman of the Federal Reserve. Warsh has previously referred to Bitcoin as "an important asset that aids in policy-making." However, Elizabeth Warren expressed concerns during the hearing, mentioning risks such as "shadow accounts" in the crypto space, emphasizing the need for enhanced regulation and prevention of abuse.

According to Decrypt, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (a senior Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee) wrote to SEC Chairman Paul Atkins, stating that he may have "deliberately misled" Congress regarding the decline in the number of new enforcement actions by the SEC during a hearing, and pointed out that if there are significant false statements made to Congress, it could involve criminal liability.The report cites enforcement data disclosed by the SEC for 2025, stating that the SEC added a total of 456 new enforcement actions last year, of which about 200 were from the previous administration, and approximately 256 were added during the current administration, significantly lower than the average of about 765 per year over the past decade. Warren believes that the sharp decline in enforcement actions, staff reductions, and sudden leadership changes may weaken the SEC's ability to protect investors and maintain market order, and questions whether there is political favoritism and selective enforcement. The SEC declined to comment on this.

According to Edaily, Kim Sang-hoon, the chairman of the Digital Assets Special Committee of the People Power Party of Korea, expressed concerns about the restrictions on equity in cryptocurrency exchanges at an academic conference. He called for the prioritization of advancing the basic law on digital assets related to stablecoins (Phase Two legislation) to avoid getting caught in equity regulatory disputes and missing the golden legislative opportunity.He pointed out that the reality of the issuance and circulation of the Korean won stablecoin KRWQ has emerged overseas, posing a severe challenge to monetary sovereignty. Kim Sang-hoon emphasized that the law should provide market predictability, offer clear guidance for operators, and establish effective safety mechanisms for users.

U.S. Congressman Steven Horsford and Max Miller announced the discussion draft of the "Digital Asset PARITY Act," which aims to promote the development of digital assets and enhance compliance by establishing a unified tax framework.The draft proposes a small tax exemption for regulated dollar stablecoin transactions under $200 to reduce the tax burden in everyday payments; it also allows miners and stakers to defer tax on rewards for up to 5 years. Additionally, the draft plans to extend the rules for false sales and presumed sales to digital assets and introduce tax treatments based on market value, while clarifying the tax rules for digital asset lending and charitable donations. The bill is still in the discussion stage and has not yet been formally submitted to Congress.

According to market news, Coinbase Chief Policy Officer Faryar Shirzad has called on U.S. lawmakers to reform cryptocurrency tax rules, stating that current laws are outdated. Treating crypto assets as "property" results in tax obligations even for paying gas fees or using stablecoins for everyday transactions, requiring users to calculate cost basis, track gains and losses, and report, creating a compliance burden.Coinbase data shows that the volume of tax-related customer service inquiries has increased by 34% compared to the same period last year, and millions of 1099-DA forms are expected to be issued in 2025, many of which involve very small transactions. Shirzad pointed out that over 63% of users have gaps in cost basis records, leading taxpayers to either overpay taxes or be forced to manually verify transactions. He suggested establishing a minimum exemption threshold for small transactions to eliminate the burden of reporting small payments. If tax rules are not adjusted, it may push users and innovation overseas, affecting the U.S. competitiveness in the crypto space.

According to Cointelegraph, Maxine Waters, a senior Democrat on the U.S. House Financial Services Committee, has written to Jeff Schmid, president of the Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank, requesting an explanation regarding the approval of a limited-purpose master account for Kraken Financial.Waters has asked the Kansas City Fed to clarify the specific permissions of the Kraken account, the federal services accessible, any additional conditions or restrictions, and the anti-money laundering and consumer protection measures being considered by April 10. Kraken's banking division received the account earlier this month, allowing direct access to the Federal Reserve's core payment system, Fedwire.Waters pointed out that innovations in payments, digital assets, tokenization, and artificial intelligence are rapidly outpacing the existing legal framework, necessitating transparency in access to critical financial infrastructure. According to the crypto advocacy organization Stand With Crypto, Waters is rated as a "strong opponent of cryptocurrency."

U.S. lawmakers have introduced the PREDICT Act, which aims to prohibit the President, members of Congress, and other senior government officials from participating in prediction market trading.The bill was jointly proposed by Adrian Smith and Nikki Budzinski and aims to restrict the use of insider information in prediction activities related to political events or policy outcomes, extending its scope to the spouses and family members of the relevant personnel. The bill also proposes a penalty of 10% of the total contract value for violations, with all profits being forfeited to the U.S. Treasury.

According to The Wall Street Journal, U.S. lawmakers will introduce a bipartisan bill to prohibit entities regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), including U.S. platforms Kalshi and Polymarket, from listing contracts related to sporting events.

According to CoinDesk, negotiations on the CLARITY Act, a U.S. cryptocurrency market structure bill, have been ongoing for several weeks and are currently in a state of "almost reached."Insiders say that the updated legislative text was submitted to the White House for review on Thursday, and Republican members of the Senate Banking Committee held a meeting that day to discuss how to bridge the final gaps. A long-standing dispute over stablecoin yields is nearing compromise, but lawmakers are still discussing what other concessions can be offered to community banks in exchange for their support, which may include provisions related to recent housing legislation. Democrats continue to demand a ban on government officials profiting from personal cryptocurrency interests (mainly targeting Trump) and require the appointment of a Democratic commissioner to fill a vacancy before the CFTC passes new regulations.Senator Lummis stated that the Coinbase CEO has been more flexible in recent negotiations. Meanwhile, the SEC released its first classification definition of crypto assets this week. The SEC chairman stated that only Congress can rewrite the law, but in the meantime, regulators are providing a responsible regulatory path that the market needs.

Members of the UK's Treasury Select Committee and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Crypto and Digital Assets (APPG) are calling for an immediate ban on donations to political parties in the form of cryptocurrency.The proposal stems from recent controversies regarding "dark money" flowing into the political system, with lawmakers believing that the anonymity of crypto assets could be used to evade existing political funding transparency requirements. The report points out that blockchain addresses are difficult to trace back to actual beneficiaries or could be used to obscure the source of funds, posing risks of foreign interference and money laundering. Some investigations have also found that certain crypto donations in the winter of 2025 can be traced back to overseas IP addresses. According to the proposal, political parties must liquidate existing crypto assets and refuse future related donations to ensure political funding returns to the traditional financial system. In response, crypto industry organizations believe that a blanket ban may be an overreaction and suggest enhancing transparency through measures such as strengthening KYC.

According to Cointelegraph, U.S. Congressman Michael Cloud, along with 28 other lawmakers, has sent a letter to congressional leadership requesting a permanent ban on the issuance of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the United States.The lawmakers believe that the current bill, which only proposes a temporary measure to prohibit the Federal Reserve from issuing a CBDC until 2031, is insufficient. They warn that a CBDC could lead to financial surveillance, grant excessive power to the Federal Reserve, and threaten citizens' freedoms. They call for the restoration of stricter permanent ban provisions previously proposed in the "Anti-CBDC Surveillance State Act."Any ban on the issuance of a U.S. central bank digital currency must be "permanent," and they warn that issuing a U.S. central bank digital currency is "essentially anti-American."

According to Jinshi, U.S. lawmakers are calling for an investigation into Binance regarding illegal financial risks.

According to the DeFi Education Fund, U.S. Representatives Scott Fitzgerald, Ben Cline, and Zoe Lofgren jointly proposed the "2026 Blockchain Development Innovation Act," aimed at clarifying the applicability of Section 1960 of Title 18 of the U.S. Code regarding "unlicensed money transmission businesses."The bill seeks to clarify that Section 1960 applies only to entities that control customer assets and conduct fund transfers on behalf of customers, and should not extend to blockchain software developers who do not hold user funds. The related proposal states that this move is consistent with the original legislative intent of Congress and the long-standing regulatory interpretation of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, aiming to reduce the risk of improper criminal charges faced by developers.

U.S. lawmakers have recently resumed discussions on the yield mechanisms of stablecoins, with some legislators expressing concerns that the yields offered by stablecoins could lead to a drain on bank deposits and blur the lines between crypto products and traditional bank deposits.During a Senate Banking Committee hearing, Senator Angela Alsobrooks stated that while she supports financial innovation, the yield mechanisms of stablecoins could create products similar to bank deposits but lack corresponding regulatory and protective measures, potentially leading to future deposit outflow risks. The issue of stablecoin yields has been one of the core topics in legislative negotiations within the crypto market. The stablecoin bill GENIUS, passed in 2025, has prohibited stablecoin issuers from directly paying interest to holders, but it has not banned third-party platforms like Coinbase from offering rewards to users for holding coins.Banking professionals believe that allowing stablecoins to offer yields would undermine the deposit base of the traditional banking system. A previous study by the Independent Community Bankers of America indicated that if stablecoin yield mechanisms were fully opened, bank deposits could decrease by approximately $1.3 trillion, leading to a reduction of about $850 billion in community bank loans. The crypto industry, however, argues that restricting stablecoin yields would stifle innovation. Some industry insiders have stated that there is currently no evidence to suggest a significant correlation between the proliferation of stablecoins and the outflow of bank deposits.Senator Thom Tillis has indicated that he will request regulators to conduct an independent assessment of the risks of deposit outflow that stablecoins may trigger. Meanwhile, the White House has recently organized multiple rounds of meetings between banks and crypto companies, hoping to reach a solution on the issue of stablecoin yields by the end of this month.