🚨NEW: When asked about next steps for the GENIUS Act in the House, a GOP aide said this —
“Chairman Hill has publicly stated that stablecoin and market structure legislation are closely interconnected. We need to enact both to provide the necessary protections, and we’ll continue engaging with our colleagues to ensure we deliver the strongest digital asset legislation possible.”
🚨NEW: Following a prior delay to June 17 (today), the @SECGov is inviting public comment on whether to approve or deny @CBOE’s proposal to list the @FTI_US $XRP spot ETF.
The deadline for comments and rebuttals is late July.
🚨NEW: Gemini has filed a scathing complaint against the @CFTC Enforcement Division, accusing it of waging a 7-year campaign of “lawfare” against the crypto exchange.
Instead of going after real wrongdoers, Gemini says, the CFTC sued the exchange and relied on testimony from a discredited former employee. The company says the agency has also failed to produce any evidence of intentional wrongdoing over the seven years of investigation and discovery.
It also points to what it calls a “toxic” culture inside the CFTC, but says it’s encouraged by Acting Chair @CarolineDPham’s push to reform the division.
🚨NEW: The @SECGov and @Ripple have jointly requested a Manhattan District court to dissolve the injunction in their ongoing case and release the $125 million civil penalty held in escrow.
They’re proposing that $50 million be paid to the SEC, with the remaining funds returned to Ripple. This motion is the latest in the broader effort to settle the case, end the pending appeals, and avoid further legal proceedings between the two parties.
🚨NEW from me: Market Structure Legislation Heads to House Floor After Marathon Markup
PLUS @coinbase deepens ties with law enforcement, and Animoca Brands co-founder @yatsiu joins the podcast with insights on why Asia is beating the U.S. at crypto. ⬇️
🚨Here at the nomination hearing of @BrianQuintenz for Chair of the @CFTC — a crucial position as Congress is looking to give more oversight responsibility of crypto to the agency.
Quintenz just answered @SenAmyKlobuchar’s question on how he would navigate the appearance of conflict of interest when it comes to crypto and events contracts given his prior work at @a16z and on the board of @Kalshi — “I have a very robust ethics agreement that does require my divestiture. I will also have a screener in my office to ensure that no matter inappropriately comes before me.”
🚨NEW: Ahead of today’s CLARITY Act markup in @FinancialCmte and @HouseAgGOP, some industry players I’ve been speaking to are raising concerns over a new section in the amended text they’re describing as a “Gensler-era provision.”
The change would eliminate exemptions for previously issued tokens, instead giving the SEC sweeping authority to determine, on a case-by-case basis, whether each token qualifies as a security.
Critics say this approach reintroduces uncertainty the bill is meant to resolve. More to come.
🚨NEW: In prepared remarks for his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate Agriculture Committee this afternoon, @BrianQuintenz endorses Congress giving the @CFTC new jurisdiction over spot crypto commodity markets.
“This could prove to be the most exciting, and the most important, time in the agency’s history – as Congress considers new jurisdiction for the agency over the spot crypto commodity markets...”
Quintenz will appear before the committee at 3PM EST.
🚨NEW: In a new letter from Acting Comptroller Rodney Hood, the @USOCC reaffirms its preemption authority, meaning federal banking rules can legally override conflicting state laws.
Some in the crypto banking industry are concerned this signals a more aggressive OCC that will push out state regulators, expand federal oversight of crypto, and potentially undermine the so-called dual banking system, which balances state and federal roles in financial regulation.
Hood says preemption regs are consistent with federal law, Supreme Court precedent, and Executive Orders from the White House.
🚨NEW: Acting @CFTC Chair @CarolineDPham says all proposals submitted to the agency in response to its call for public comment on 24/7 derivatives & perpetuals trading have only involved crypto asset products, not traditional commodities.
In a speech this week, Pham noted the agency sees potential benefits, including real-time weekend responses to unexpected events, which would be a big deal for risk managers.
She pointed to @coinbase Derivatives’ recent launch of 24/7 Bitcoin futures as a key case study. Weekend trading volumes are already comparable to active weekdays, with 1,000+ traders and hundreds of thousands of contracts.
Also interesting: the CFTC is looking at tokenized assets and stablecoins as collateral to address credit risk in a 24/7 market.
On perpetuals, the Commission confirms that they’re already trading in U.S. markets, with @Bitnomial launching Bitcoin perpetual futures in April.
Some commenters want more crypto perpetuals under U.S. oversight, citing efficiency and lower cost. Others warn they may not work well for physical commodities due to lack of convergence and added risk.
🚨NEW: Acting @CFTC Commissioner @CarolineDPham says all proposals submitted to the agency in response to its call for public comment on 24/7 derivatives & perpetuals trading have only involved crypto asset products, not traditional commodities.
In a speech this week, Pham noted the agency sees potential benefits, including real-time weekend responses to unexpected events, which would be a big deal for risk managers.
She pointed to @coinbase Derivatives’ recent launch of 24/7 Bitcoin futures as a key case study. Weekend trading volumes are already comparable to active weekdays, with 1,000+ traders and hundreds of thousands of contracts.
Also interesting: the CFTC is looking at tokenized assets and stablecoins as collateral to address credit risk in a 24/7 market.
On perpetuals, the Commission confirms that they’re already trading in U.S. markets (contrary to some reports), with @Bitnomial launching Bitcoin perpetual futures in April.
Some commenters want more crypto perpetuals under U.S. oversight, citing efficiency and lower cost. Others warn they may not work well for physical commodities due to lack of convergence and added risk.
🚨NEW from me: House sets CLARITY Act markup for Tuesday while industry pushes back on TradFi ‘favoritism’, and Democrats spotlight Trump’s crypto ties in a special hearing.
Plus, a look at the week’s biggest news stories. ⬇️
🚨NEW: @FinancialCmte has officially scheduled a markup of the crypto market structure bill — the CLARITY Act — for Tuesday, June 10 at 10:00 AM EST alongside a handful of other bills.
🚨NEW: In a notable display of unity, eight of the biggest crypto policy organizations in Washington D.C. have issued a joint statement calling on Congress to include the Blockchain Regulatory Certainty Act (BRCA) in market structure legislation.
The groups — @fund_defi, @coincenter @SolanaInstitute, @DigitalChamber, @BlockchainAssn, @crypto_council, @btcpolicyorg and @paradigm — say the amendment is essential to protecting software developers and infrastructure providers who do not custody customer funds.
The amendment, originally introduced by @GOPMajorityWhip and now with bipartisan support from @RepRitchie, is being viewed by many in the industry as a foundational policy safeguard for DeFi developers.
“It’s critically important that we don’t treat open-source developers like traditional financial institutions,” one policy lead told me. “The BRCA draws that line clearly and protects innovation.”
The joint statement urges lawmakers to include the BRCA in the CLARITY Act, the House’s digital asset market structure bill, which is expected to be marked up next week.