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Bitcoin holds above $66,000 as support widens for U.S. CLARITY Act

Bitcoin holds above $66,000 as support widens for U.S. CLARITY Act

The crypto market-structure bill gained backing from Aave, Ripple, Fidelity and other Wall Street firms as updated text added tougher AML, sanctions and enforcement provisions; Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs recorded net inflows while some meme coins lagged.

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Fact Check
The core claims are corroborated by multiple sources. Benzinga (the original source) confirms Bitcoin above $66,000, ETF net inflows and meme coin divergence; CoinDesk confirms the price level and ETF inflows tied to CLARITY Act hopes. CryptoBriefing and news.bitcoin.com confirm broad backing from Fidelity, BlackRock, Goldman, Ripple and others, and CryptoBriefing details the updated bill text with tougher AML, sanctions and enforcement provisions. A separate CryptoBriefing article noting the bill stalled in the Senate concerns legislative timing rather than the claim's assertions about support and market conditions, so it does not materially conflict.
Summary

Bitcoin stayed above $66,000 as support broadened for the U.S. Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, or CLARITY Act, a market-structure bill that has drawn backing from Aave founder Stani Kulechov, Ripple executives, Senator Cynthia Lummis, Fidelity, BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, Charles Schwab and Grayscale. Updated text released by Lummis on July 22, 2026 would clarify SEC and CFTC oversight, address DeFi through protections for non-custodial developers, extend Bank Secrecy Act and anti-money laundering requirements to digital-asset exchanges and certain DeFi platforms, expand Treasury sanctions authority over foreign digital-asset firms tied to illicit finance, create a safe harbor for firms that freeze suspicious transactions, and provide $300 million for FinCEN and state and local law enforcement. The House passed H.R. 3633 by 294-134 on July 17, 2025 and the Senate Banking Committee advanced it 15-9 in May 2026, but Senate timing and final passage remain uncertain. In markets, Bitcoin and Ethereum ETFs posted net inflows, indicating continued demand through regulated fund vehicles, while some meme coins including Shiba Inu and BONK underperformed.

Terms & Concepts
  • CLARITY Act: A proposed U.S. digital-asset market-structure bill intended to clarify oversight between the SEC and CFTC and set rules for parts of the crypto industry.
  • Bank Secrecy Act: U.S. law requiring financial institutions to help detect and report potential financial crimes.
  • DeFi: Decentralized or blockchain-based financial services that operate through software rather than traditional financial intermediaries.