Photo: Library of Congress / en.wikipedia.org
Senate has 5 days to pass the Crypto Clarity Act before summer recess
The landmark digital asset bill faces long odds in the Senate, and prediction markets aren't exactly optimistic about its chances
The US Senate is staring down a five-day window to advance the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act before lawmakers scatter for summer recess. The bill, which would finally draw clear jurisdictional lines between the SEC and CFTC on crypto oversight, has been bouncing around Congress for over a year now.
Where things stand
The House passed the CLARITY Act (H.R. 3633) on July 17, 2025, with a bipartisan vote of 294-134.
The Senate Banking Committee then advanced the bill with a 15-9 vote on May 14, 2026. An updated merged text dropped on July 22, 2026, clocking in at 616 pages. The revised version incorporates provisions related to ethics requirements and asset classification frameworks.
Congressional prediction markets currently estimate only a 30-38% chance of the Act passing before year-end.
What the bill actually does
The bill proposes a framework that would classify certain digital assets as commodities under CFTC jurisdiction, while others would fall under the SEC’s securities umbrella. Bitcoin and Ethereum, the two largest crypto assets by market cap, would likely land in the CFTC camp under the proposed rules.
The legislation also tackles stablecoins and decentralized finance. DeFi developers would get enhanced protections under the proposed framework.
Market reaction tells the story
Bitcoin has been hovering in a subdued range around $64,650-$65,000 as of early August 2026. A 30-38% probability of passage is the kind of number that keeps you from going all-in on either direction.