Coinbase CEO Says Clarity Act Will Be a ‘Freight Train’ for Crypto Growth

Highlights:

• Coinbase CEO Armstrong is highly confident the market structure bill will pass swiftly.
• The Clarity Act clearly defines SEC and CFTC roles for non-stablecoin regulation.
• Armstrong urges lawmakers to block banking attempts restricting interest on stablecoins.

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong showed strong optimism about a new market structure bill after meeting with lawmakers in Washington. The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act aims to clearly define the responsibilities of the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission, and other financial regulators, particularly regarding non-stablecoins and tokenized stocks.

Armstrong said he has never been more confident about the bill’s passage. He emphasized that it is crucial for keeping the crypto industry anchored in the United States. He added that its approval would prevent the type of regulatory overreach seen under former SEC Chair Gary Gensler.

“This is how we ensure the crypto industry can be built here in America, driving innovation and protecting consumers, and making sure we never have another Gary Gensler trying to take your rights.” Armstrong said. After meetings with lawmakers this week, he noted that the Senate shows strong bipartisan support for passing the legislation quickly. 

Armstrong said in a video on X that lawmakers will soon be released to the public for feedback. He also said the bill looks likely to pass, like a fast-moving train leaving the station. The bill had previously passed the U.S. House of Representatives in July alongside the GENIUS Act and the Anti-CBD Surveillance State Act. While former President Trump signed the GENIUS Act into law, the other two measures remain under Senate review.

I was in DC the last few days working to get MARKET STRUCTURE legislation passed for crypto. This is how we ensure the crypto industry can be built here in America, driving innovation and protecting consumers, and making sure we never have another Gary Gensler trying to take your… pic.twitter.com/UqCH8jCNU8

— Brian Armstrong (@brian_armstrong) September 18, 2025

Lummis Confident CLARITY Act Will Reach President Before Year-End

Last month, Senator Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) expressed strong confidence that the CLARITY Act will reach President Donald Trump’s desk before the end of 2025. Speaking at the Wyoming Blockchain Symposium in Jackson Hole, Lummis outlined a clear legislative timeline for the bill’s passage. She stated, “We will have market structure to the president’s desk before the end of the year. I hope it’s before Thanksgiving.”

Crypto Leaders Stress Developer Protection and Stablecoin Support

Executives from Ripple, Kraken, Circle, Cardano, and firms like Paradigm, a16z, and Multicoin Capital met in Washington earlier this week. Kraken CEO Arjun Sethi said developers should be protected to build protocols, chains, and tokenized assets that help innovators.

“Thank you to everyone in DC fighting for crypto’s future. But the real fight is bigger: protecting the right to build protocols, chains, memes, tokenized equities, commodities, utilities, etc. and ensuring incentives stay with the builders, not just incumbents, ” he said. Armstrong noted that banks tried to ban interest on stablecoins under the GENIUS Act but failed. He urged lawmakers to stop similar actions that could block innovation.

🚨NEW: Following up on my tweet last night about the @BankingGOP roundtable that was held this morning. In addition to @IOHK_Charles, @Ripple and @a16z, I’m told representatives from @krakenfx, @coinbase, @multicoincap, @paradigm and @circle were also in attendance. Meeting… https://t.co/GZ80mVvPjK

— Eleanor Terrett (@EleanorTerrett) September 17, 2025

Armstrong emphasized that lawmakers will prevent the banking sector from blocking interest on stablecoins. In mid-August, multiple banking groups cautioned that yield-bearing stablecoins might challenge the traditional banking system, which relies on high-interest deposit accounts to fund loans. He also pointed out that previous attempts to prohibit interest on stablecoins under the GENIUS Act had failed.