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According to Crypto in America, the U.S. Senate will recess until July 13, and the advancement of the CLARITY Act depends on the progress of behind-the-scenes coordination over the next two weeks. Staff from both parties, government officials, and industry stakeholders are working to resolve remaining differences, including reconciling text discrepancies between the Banking Committee and the Agriculture Committee, as well as reaching consensus on ethical standards and provisions to combat illegal financial activities.The bill requires the support of at least 60 senators to pass. Even if all 53 Republican votes are in favor, at least 7 Democratic senators will need to join; the support of the majority of Democrats may depend on whether the White House can agree to establish a strong ethical framework regarding issues related to Trump's cryptocurrency business. According to Reuters, since Trump's return to the White House, his cryptocurrency business has generated over $2 billion in new wealth for him.Additionally, major law enforcement groups still oppose the inclusion of provisions from the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act in the bill, arguing that it would increase the difficulty of investigating and prosecuting on-chain crimes. Remaining discrepancies in the Agriculture Committee's text include issues such as the prioritization of federal law over state law, management of conflicts of interest in exchanges, and restrictions on related-party transactions. Sources indicate that the parties have not yet reached a final agreement, and there remains uncertainty about whether the Senate vote can be completed before the August recess.

According to BBX data, last weekend Japan's largest financial group completed the most important cryptocurrency acquisition, and U.S. bipartisan senators launched a new regulatory offensive against prediction market platforms. The core developments are as follows:SBI Holdings, Inc. (Tokyo Stock Exchange: 8473) announced the acquisition of the Japanese cryptocurrency exchange Bitbank (privately held) for approximately $289 million. After the transaction is completed, SBI's cryptocurrency business will surpass all competitors, creating Japan's largest cryptocurrency exchange. SBI Holdings is one of Japan's largest independent financial services groups, already owning cryptocurrency-friendly network bank SBI Shinsei Bank, cryptocurrency asset custodian SBI Digital Asset Holdings, and multiple Bitcoin mining and cryptocurrency venture capital investments. Bitbank is one of Japan's largest spot BTC exchanges and holds an official cryptocurrency exchange license from the Financial Services Agency (FSA) of Japan. This acquisition marks a shift for traditional Japanese financial institutions from "strategic trial" in the cryptocurrency sector to "scale acquisition dominance," alongside the joint stablecoin plan of the three major banks: Mitsubishi UFJ ($MUFG), Sumitomo Mitsui ($SMFG), and Mizuho ($MFG) (targeting March 2027), forming the most intensive wave of cryptocurrency layout in Japan's financial industry by 2026.U.S. Senators John Curtis (Republican, Utah) and Adam Schiff (Democrat, California) reported on June 28 that they jointly sent a letter to the CFTC, urging it to conduct a formal investigation into the prediction market platform Polymarket (privately held), citing a "concerning" investigative report regarding Polymarket's "deceptive marketing" practices, which accused it of systematic misleading in user acquisition and risk disclosure. This is the third regulatory offensive against prediction market platforms initiated by Congress this year (previously, the House Oversight Committee launched an insider trading investigation on May 22); the two senators come from different parties, which is significant. For Robinhood Markets, Inc. (NASDAQ: $HOOD), this investigation poses indirect pressure—Robinhood's prediction market/event contract business (which achieved a record daily trading volume in June) faces the same regulatory qualitative disputes as Polymarket; however, Robinhood's defensive advantage lies in its ongoing application for a CFTC Designated Contract Market (DCM) license, providing a clearer compliance path compared to Polymarket.

The U.S. Senate is trying to advance the cryptocurrency market structure bill, the "Clarity Act," in July, but the time window for the bill's passage is narrowing due to a backlog of priority agendas such as the defense authorization bill, the agriculture bill extension, and housing legislation. The Senate's schedule is tight in the coming weeks. In addition to the annual defense and agriculture bills, Trump stated on Wednesday that he would not support a major housing bill unless Congress first passes a bill requiring federal election voters to provide proof of citizenship. This housing bill also includes provisions to prohibit central bank digital currencies.As members of Congress will leave Washington before the August recess, if the relevant bills do not advance before then, the political focus will shift to the November elections when they return, further reducing the available floor time for cryptocurrency legislation. Republican Senator Cynthia Lummis indicated that a new version of the text is expected to be released around July 4 for final review by lawmakers, with a vote planned for July. A Senate aide also mentioned that the "Clarity Act" will become one of the bipartisan priorities when the Senate reconvenes in July. However, the bill still faces multiple uncertainties, including the level of Democratic support, controversies over Trump's related cryptocurrency conflicts of interest, the priority of other significant bills, and the Senate's limited scheduling.

According to FinanceFeeds, five Democratic senators urged the Republican committee chairman on Tuesday to hold a hearing immediately to investigate the reported $500 million investment by the UAE in the Trump family's cryptocurrency company, World Liberty Financial.It is reported that an aide to the Abu Dhabi royal family signed an agreement four days before Trump's inauguration last year to purchase a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial for $500 million, of which $218 million has already been paid to Trump and entities related to his diplomat for Middle Eastern affairs, Steve Witkoff.The senators confirmed that the supporter is UAE National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Since Trump took office in January 2025, his administration has approved several deals favorable to the UAE, including a $1.4 billion arms sale in May 2025 and authorization in November for the sale of over $1 billion worth of 35,000 advanced AI chips to UAE's G42 company.

On June 23, five Democratic senators from the U.S. Senate, including Elizabeth Warren and Richard Blumenthal, jointly sent a letter requesting multiple Senate committees to hold hearings immediately regarding the $500 million investment by UAE officials in the Trump family's cryptocurrency project WLFI, to investigate whether this investment influenced the Trump administration's subsequent policy decisions towards the UAE.According to the letter, an agent for a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family signed an agreement with the Trump family to acquire a 49% stake in WLFI for $500 million, with the agreement completed four days before Trump's inauguration. The foreign buyer prepaid $218 million to entities associated with the Trump family and Middle East chief diplomat Steve Witkoff. The deal was reportedly endorsed by UAE National Security Advisor Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, and the senators described this move as "unprecedented in U.S. political history."More concerning is the policy direction following the completion of the deal. The letter lists a series of decisions made by the Trump administration within months of the agreement that were clearly favorable to the UAE: approval of $1.4 billion in arms sales to the UAE; the Treasury Department establishing a "known investor pilot" program, which opened the green light for a fast-track approval process for the UAE that had long been lobbied for by CFIUS; and the Commerce Department lifting chip export restrictions from the Biden era, authorizing UAE AI company G42 to acquire 35,000 Nvidia Blackwell chips, with a transaction amount exceeding $1 billion. However, U.S. intelligence officials reportedly found that G42 had provided U.S. technology that could enhance missile capabilities to China.The senators demanded that Trump administration officials "explain under oath when they became aware of the payments to the president and his chief regional diplomat's family," and provide clarification on how to restore public trust. Currently, neither WLFI nor the UAE government has responded to this matter.

Democratic senators in the United States are urging an investigation into the Trump family's alleged $500 million cryptocurrency deal with the Abu Dhabi royal family.

According to Bloomberg Tax, U.S. Senate Republican tax drafter Steve Daines stated that the cryptocurrency tax legislation framework being advanced by the Senate has basically taken shape and may be announced as early as this fall. Daines said that the framework is "more similar than different" to the version previously released by the House Ways and Means Committee, and he hopes to hold a legislative markup meeting within this year, but did not disclose specific details.

According to CoinDesk, the U.S. Senate passed a housing bill with a vote of 85 to 5, which includes a four-year ban on Federal Reserve central bank digital currency (CBDC). This ban will last until the end of 2030, prohibiting the Federal Reserve system or its member banks from issuing or creating central bank digital currency or any digital assets that are substantially similar. Although the Federal Reserve has not actively promoted a CBDC project, Republican lawmakers view CBDCs as a dangerous act of government overreach and insisted on including it in the housing bill. The newly appointed Federal Reserve Chairman Kevin Warsh called CBDCs a "bad policy choice" during his nomination hearing. Trump signed an executive order in January 2025 prohibiting any actions to advance CBDCs. If the House passes it and the President signs it, the ban will become law.

According to Fortune, Theodore Gillibrand, the son of New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, has completed a $30 million financing round, with the company valued at approximately $300 million. They plan to launch a derivatives trading platform named American Perpetuals Exchange Corp. (APEC). The platform intends to apply for a license from the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission and aims to list perpetual futures for stocks and stock indices, rather than perpetual contracts for cryptocurrencies.

According to The Block, a bipartisan group of lawmakers led by U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis has written to the Treasury Department, requesting the maintenance of states' authority to regulate stablecoins under the GENIUS Act. The act allows stablecoin issuers with a market capitalization of no more than $10 billion to be regulated by states, provided that state-level rules are "substantially similar" to federal rules. The Treasury Department released proposed rules in April, suggesting broad principles for determining whether state systems are "substantially similar," but did not clarify the timeline and standards for state regulation. The senators stated in their letter that the lack of clarity "creates uncertainty for the states," and therefore requested the Treasury Department to issue guidance that clarifies the application, review, and certification processes for state systems. The New York State Department of Financial Services proposed formal rules last week to align its stablecoin framework with the GENIUS Act.

A bipartisan group of senators led by Cynthia Lummis has written to U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, requesting that the Treasury maintain states' regulatory authority over certain stablecoin issuers when formulating implementation rules for the GENIUS stablecoin bill. The GENIUS Act was signed into law last year, establishing a federal regulatory framework for stablecoins in the United States, requiring that stablecoins be fully backed by U.S. dollars or similar high-liquidity assets, and mandating that issuers with a market capitalization exceeding $50 billion undergo annual audits, while also setting rules for offshore issuance.The bill allows stablecoin issuers with a market capitalization of no more than $10 billion to be regulated at the state level, as long as the relevant state regulatory systems are "substantially similar" to federal requirements. The senators believe that the rules previously proposed by the Treasury do not clearly outline the timeline and standards for state regulatory system applications, reviews, and certifications, creating uncertainty for the states. The letter points out that there are significant differences in legislative cycles across states, with some states even adopting a biennial legislative cycle, thus requiring a flexible and continuously open certification mechanism to ensure that states can apply for certification when demand arises, rather than being constrained by timing mismatches that limit innovation and competition.

According to Premium Times, the Nigerian Senate passed a bill on Tuesday aimed at regulating cryptocurrency, protecting investors, and strengthening the digital economy. The bill passed its second reading and has been submitted to the Capital Market Committee for further review, with a report due in four weeks.The bill was introduced by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and aims to establish a comprehensive regulatory framework for virtual assets, digital assets, and virtual asset service providers. It mandates that cryptocurrency exchanges apply for licenses and comply with transparency and regulatory requirements. Chief Whip Tahir Monguno stated during the debate that although Nigeria is one of the countries with the highest cryptocurrency adoption rates in Africa, it has fallen behind several African nations in regulating the digital financial ecosystem. The lack of a clear legal framework exposes investors to risks and allows illegal activities to thrive in the industry.

According to CoinDesk, U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis stated that establishing clear regulatory rules for the cryptocurrency industry "is not about helping the industry, but about protecting every American who wishes to participate in this economic activity."She emphasized that a clear and predictable regulatory framework helps ordinary investors to participate in the cryptocurrency market in compliance and manage risks, rather than just serving industry institutions or large companies.

According to Jinshi, U.S. Senator and Vice Chair of the Democratic Caucus Elizabeth Warren has called on the SEC to postpone SpaceX's IPO and requested a review of this IPO.

According to The Block, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Chairman Michael Selig, questioning whether the agency is capable of taking on greater regulatory responsibilities for cryptocurrency and prediction markets. Warren pointed out that CFTC's staff has decreased by about 25%, and enforcement activities have significantly declined, stating that expanding responsibilities would be a "recipe for disaster." She criticized the CFTC's handling of cases involving Gemini, Polymarket, and Crypto.com, and noted that officials attempting to raise concerns about the relevant companies have been sidelined from the agency. Selig insisted that prediction markets and event contracts fall under CFTC's "exclusive jurisdiction," and the agency has even sued several states attempting to ban the operation of prediction market platforms. In her letter, Warren requested the agency to provide records related to personnel changes, communications with prediction market companies, and the Clarity Act.

According to The Block, a joint letter initiated by Stand With Crypto, the Blockchain Association, the Crypto Council for Innovation, and The Digital Chamber has been submitted to U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, urging a prompt full Senate vote on the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act (referred to as the CLARITY Act). More than 200 crypto companies, industry associations, and community organizations, including Coinbase, Ripple, Kraken, a16z, Circle, and Binance.US, participated in signing.The joint letter points out that the CLARITY Act will establish a comprehensive federal regulatory framework for the digital asset market, clarify the division of responsibilities among regulatory agencies, provide feasible registration pathways, and protect software developers' innovation while encouraging more digital asset businesses to return to the U.S. market. The signatories stated that the act would help keep innovation, jobs, investment, and market activities in the U.S., further solidifying the country's leading position in global digital asset innovation.It is understood that the CLARITY Act received bipartisan support from the Senate Banking Committee last month and passed the committee's review. Senator Cynthia Lummis subsequently stated that the next step for the act will be to enter the full Senate review stage.Additionally, 160 former national security and law enforcement officials had previously signed in support of the act, and U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and White House crypto advisor Patrick Witt have also publicly called for advancing the legislative process. However, the issue of the Trump family's interests in relation to the crypto industry is still seen as one of the main obstacles facing the advancement of the act.

Senator Kevin Cramer stated in an interview that the U.S. Congress must immediately pass the Clarity Act, or else the cryptocurrency industry and future financial control will completely shift to other countries around the world.He emphasized, "This is not a Bitcoin issue, but a strategic issue of who controls the future of finance."

According to CoinDesk, U.S. Senator Cynthia Lummis, along with several Senate Republicans, urged financial regulators to abolish the 1,250% punitive risk weight set by the Basel Committee on digital assets and to establish a new capital framework so that banks can meaningfully participate in the cryptocurrency market.

According to The Block, the Blockchain Association sent a letter on Tuesday to U.S. Senate Majority Leader John Thune and Democratic Leader Charles Schumer, expressing strong support for the Clarity Act. The letter was signed by 160 former national security and law enforcement officials, emphasizing that the market structure for digital assets is a priority for law enforcement and national security.The letter states that the Clarity Act expands law enforcement and financial crime prevention capabilities within the digital asset ecosystem, including key anti-illegal finance and law enforcement provisions, such as expanding the Bank Secrecy Act and sanctions obligations, and establishing a Treasury-led law enforcement agency and private sector information-sharing mechanism. The Blockchain Association emphasizes that these are not measures to relax regulation, but rather tools to enhance law enforcement. The bill has passed the Senate Banking Committee and is currently awaiting a vote by the full Senate. The Blockchain Association also plans to hold a virtual town hall on Thursday to discuss the bill.

According to the official legislative information website of the U.S. Congress, HR3633------The 2025 Digital Asset Market Transparency Act, known as the "CLARITY Act," has officially been included in the legislative agenda of the U.S. Senate.