U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Paul Atkins has issued a direct call to Congress, urging lawmakers to pass the CLARITY Act (Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2025) and stating that "delay is no longer acceptable." Atkins emphasized that the current regulatory framework is failing and that it is "really crucial for Congress at this moment in time to step forward and come up with crypto legislation." He argued that regulation through enforcement actions alone is ineffective for the fast-growing sector and that prolonged uncertainty harms market confidence.
The push for legislative clarity coincides with a high-level meeting at the White House. On February 2, 2026, White House crypto czar David Sacks hosted banking and crypto trade groups, along with representatives from Coinbase, to discuss the stalled bill. Reports suggest the meeting aimed to broker a compromise on Section 404 to revive the legislative process.
David Duong, Head of Global Research at Coinbase Institutional, expressed strong optimism in an exclusive interview with 99Bitcoins.com. He stated, "I think that we’ve already gotten stablecoin oversight. Market structure clarity is going to emerge too." Duong highlighted that prediction markets for the bill's passage have risen from 20% to 60% odds, indicating growing confidence. He pointed to bipartisan support, noting 289 pro-crypto members in the House and 59 in the Senate, with several neutral senators.
The CLARITY Act, which passed the House in 2025 but has since been stalled, seeks to define clear regulatory roles for the SEC and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), establish consumer protections, and provide the legal certainty needed for institutional participation. Atkins framed the need not as a move to boost asset prices, but as a necessity for stable rules and predictable oversight to prevent the U.S. from falling behind other jurisdictions like the European Union.
Duong concluded that clear frameworks are "unlocking institutional participation" and will act as a "force function for Wall Street to enter into crypto," citing recent moves by firms like Morgan Stanley as evidence of this trend.
