U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

Bitcoin price holds near $82,000 as ETF inflows surge and the CLARITY Act battle intensifies, with the act approaching a markup in the Senate Banking Committee. The U.S. spot Bitcoin exchange-traded funds drew about $1.9 billion of net inflows in April. The CLARITY Act would define jurisdiction for most digital assets between the SEC and CFTC.

Stablecoin payments company Kast hired former SEC adviser Stephanie Allen to lead its policy communications, licensing, and regulatory efforts following an $80 million funding raise.

Stablecoin fintech KAST has appointed Stephanie Allen, a former SEC advisor, to lead its policy communications. This move aims to enhance KAST's public profile and reputation among policymakers, thought leaders, and media.

House Republicans, including Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Zach Nunn, and Mike Lawler, emphasized Bitcoin's role in national security and economic competition with China during a Bitcoin 2026 Conference panel. They argued that U.S. inaction in the crypto sector risks ceding leadership to China, while advocating for regulatory clarity to foster innovation and counter authoritarian threats.

SEC Chair Paul Atkins and CFTC Chair Mike Selig announced a collaborative regulatory approach to digital assets, emphasizing onshore crypto development, tokenization, and future-proof rules. They highlighted joint efforts like the token taxonomy guidance and proposed an 'innovation exemption' to foster U.S.-based crypto projects while addressing securities vs. commodities boundaries.

The SEC's Crypto Task Force acknowledged zero-knowledge (ZK) proofs as a method to 'shield private information while proving transaction permissions,' signaling a regulatory shift toward selective disclosure. This marks a departure from strict transparency demands, validating privacy-preserving compliance via cryptographic attestation and positioning ZK-based projects for future regulatory alignment.

Coinbase received conditional approval from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) to operate as a national trust company, allowing it to act as a federally regulated custodian for digital assets. The approval is seen as a step toward institutional adoption but has sparked debate due to Coinbase's past SEC lawsuit and its current opposition to the CLARITY Act draft language.

Senator Elizabeth Warren accused SEC Chair Paul Atkins of potentially lying to Congress regarding the SEC's declining enforcement actions. Warren suggested Atkins may have intentionally misled lawmakers about the agency's reduced regulatory efforts.

The global crypto market cap rose to $3.16 trillion as major cryptocurrencies like BTC, ETH, and BNB gained 1-2.5%. Meme coins Pepe (+67%) and Virtuals (+24%) outperformed, while BTC ETFs saw $471m inflows. SEC Commissioner Caroline Crenshaw left, creating an all-Republican commission, and PwC announced expanded crypto focus.