L'industria delle criptovalute ottiene una vittoria a Washington dopo uno scontro con le banche - WSJ

razib ⁰⁰⁹ · 2026-05-14T18:50:32.000Z

Di Gina Heeb, Amrith Ramkumar e Vicky Ge Huang WASHINGTON - Un disegno di legge che creerebbe un percorso per le criptovalute per sovvertire ulteriormente il mondo della finanza tradizionale è avanzato di un passo verso la legge giovedì, l'ultima testimonianza dell'influenza del settore a Washington. Il Comitato Bancario del Senato ha approvato un disegno di legge che stabilirebbe regole per la regolamentazione dei diversi tipi di criptovalute attraverso la Securities and Exchange Commission e la Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Due Democratici si sono uniti ai Repubblicani del comitato per approvare la legislazione, mettendola potenzialmente sulla strada per passare al Senato completo.

By Gina Heeb, Amrith Ramkumar and Vicky Ge Huang
WASHINGTON - A bill that would create a pathway for crypto to further upend the world of traditional finance moved one step closer to law Thursday, the latest testament to the sector's influence in Washington.
The Senate Banking Committee approved a bill that would establish rules regulating different types of cryptocurrencies across the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Two Democrats joined the committee's Republicans in passing the legislation, potentially putting it on a path to clear the full Senate.
The committee vote followed a bruising fight over whether crypto exchange Coinbase and other firms could offer so-called rewards that pay recurring fees to holders of popular tokens. Banks argued against what they call loopholes that would threaten deposits that fuel the economy.
Neither side got everything it wanted.
For Coinbase Chief Executive Brian Armstrong, the legislation could force changes to the company's rewards program and potentially cut revenue.
Banks have said it leaves room for interest-like reward structures for popular tokens that could siphon deposits and limit their ability to lend. But they say they also want to get a bill done, which would let them expand their crypto activity.
The involvement of President Trump's family in the crypto industry is one of the remaining hurdles to the bill getting the 60 votes needed to pass the full Senate. Democrats are demanding new language restricting elected officials and the president's family from engaging in certain crypto-industry activities, a key condition for winning some bipartisan support. The House already passed its version of the bill, so any differences with the Senate bill would need to be reconciled before President Trump could sign it into law.
"It's the ultimate hypocrisy: The institutions that have exploited everyday Americans for decades are suddenly concerned about 'fairness' and 'protecting investors," Eric Trump, the president's son who has helped launch a crypto firm called World Liberty Financial and a bitcoin mining company, said in an interview. "It's un-American."
Both sides lobbied furiously, flooding Senate offices with calls and letters in recent weeks. Some crypto supporters have declared early victory for the industry and said the banks put too little in the fight, too late.
CEOs of the largest banks have held dozens of meetings or calls with senators on the legislation, according to a person familiar with the matter. The American Bankers Association called on banks across the U.S. to voice concerns. Lenders have also called for stronger antimoney-laundering rules in the bill and pointed to recent scandals that involve crypto.
"This is uncharted territory, and we need to be very careful to get it right the first time," said ABA CEO Rob Nichols.
"This legislation does not take sides between traditional finance and new technology," said Sen. Tim Scott (R., S.C.), chair of the banking committee. Multiple senators said they hadn't worked harder on any other bill.
Coinbase's Armstrong came under fire in January for pulling his support for an earlier version of the bill. Executives including JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon confronted Armstrong for saying banks were trying to ban their competition. At one point, Dimon told Armstrong he was "full of s - ."
The bill is a test of the crypto sector's standing in Washington after it poured money into the 2024 election and helped defeat Sen. Sherrod Brown (D., Ohio), a crypto skeptic who pushed for strong regulations. A campaign manager for Brown, who is running again this year, recently said he will keep an open mind on crypto and acknowledged the role the industry plays in the economy.
The largest crypto political action committee, backed by Coinbase and other firms like venture investor Andreessen Horowitz, has about $165 million to pour into the midterms, pressuring lawmakers who oppose the industry.
On the banking side, the Financial Services Forum has launched a group that said it would spend tens of millions of dollars to influence key issues, at least in part to help counter inroads that crypto had made in Washington, according to people familiar with the matter.