The Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, commonly known as the CLARITY Act, is progressing in the right direction despite rising impatience within the crypto industry, a Coinbase executive said.
“I completely understand why this is taking longer,” John D’Agostino, Coinbase’s head of institutional strategy, told CNBC in an interview on Friday.
He described the legislation as a foundational framework for the long-term growth of crypto and other asset classes, noting that such an important bill naturally requires time to develop properly.
He said the CLARITY Act is far more complex than the Genius Act, the stablecoin-focused legislation that was signed into US law in July.
While acknowledging that the Genius Act was “not simple, but transformative,” he noted that it addressed issues that were structurally less complex than those tackled by broader market structure bills.
“Massive flight of talent” will propel the legislation
His comments come just weeks after White House AI and crypto czar David Sacks said the CLARITY Act could receive approval as early as January.
“We are closer than ever to passing the landmark crypto market structure legislation that President Trump has called for. We look forward to finishing the job in January,” Sacks said on Dec. 19.
D’Agostino said he remains confident the CLARITY Act will pass in the near future, pointing to increasing global momentum around crypto regulation, including Europe’s MiCA framework and the United Arab Emirates’ ongoing efforts to provide regulatory clarity.
He also referenced the “massive flight of talent” from the US to more crypto-friendly jurisdictions, suggesting this trend could intensify pressure on US lawmakers to advance the CLARITY Act in 2026.
“Part of the rush to get the Genius Act done was to stop that bleeding,” he said.
“I think once we return to session and lawmakers have time to fully absorb what’s unfolding, that same sense of urgency will emerge. We don’t want the US to fall further behind in transformational technologies like artificial intelligence and blockchain,” he added.
CLARITY Act delays have fueled market uncertainty, CoinShares says
CoinShares recently linked $952 million in outflows from crypto investment products during the week ending Dec. 19 to delays in passing the CLARITY Act, citing prolonged regulatory uncertainty and concerns over large-scale investor selling.
Meanwhile, veteran trader Peter Brandt said the potential passage of the US CLARITY Act is unlikely to have a major impact on Bitcoin’s price.
“Is it a world-shaking macro development? No. It’s certainly needed, but it’s not something that fundamentally redefines value,” Brandt said.
