CLARITY Act Backing Fuels Crypto Optimism as Tom Lee Turns Programmable Money
Fundstrat’s Tom Lee says crypto’s rebound is being driven by regulation progress outside the US, arguing Europe, Japan and Russia are advancing CLARITY Act–like rules. He expects US passage of the CLARITY Act to “supercharge” markets and help crypto become a programmable “software layer” of money. Lee also highlights that AI agents could make loyalty points and reputation behave more like money—an argument for why the CLARITY Act matters beyond headlines.
BlackRock senior managing director Samara Cohen supports the bill, calling it an important step toward a US digital-asset regulatory framework that puts investors first. She says it would shape the next era of US market structure while preserving transparency, resilience and investor protections.
Key legislative status: the CLARITY Act passed the House in July 2025 with bipartisan support, advanced to the Senate Banking Committee on May 14, 2026, but is currently stalled. The main sticking point is an ethics and conflict-of-interest clause barring the president and members of Congress from issuing or sponsoring digital assets. A merged Senate text released July 22 added ethics provisions.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said no vote is expected before the summer recess. With no floor vote scheduled, the practical deadline for 2026 passage is before the Senate’s August recess (around Aug 7). Missing it could push action to the post-midterm “lame-duck” period or into 2027.
Lee remains hopeful, citing support from major financial institutions including Goldman Sachs, BlackRock, Fidelity, Franklin Templeton and Charles Schwab.
Bullish
Bullish. The article centers on progress toward the US CLARITY Act, with BlackRock and other major financial institutions backing it. Even though a Senate floor vote is not scheduled, the market typically reacts positively to concrete regulatory milestones (committee movement, merged texts, and large-asset-manager endorsements). Similar to past “regulation clarity” phases in US crypto, expectations can lift risk appetite and improve liquidity, especially for majors.
Short-term: headlines about the CLARITY Act being actively negotiated (and ethics language being incorporated) can trigger buy-the-rumor positioning, but the unresolved ethics clause and the Aug recess deadline raise headline risk. Traders may see volatility around any procedural updates or reports that the vote timing slipped.
Long-term: if the CLARITY Act clears both chambers, it would likely improve US market structure confidence, potentially expanding institutional participation and tightening bid/ask spreads for large-cap assets. That supports a steadier uptrend rather than purely speculative rallies.
Net effect: positive expectations around CLARITY Act momentum outweigh the near-term execution uncertainty, keeping the trading bias bullish with caution into the August recess window.