CLARITY’s Stall Could Speed Crypto Rulemaking—And Favor the Biggest Players

By Isaac • October 11, 2026 11:09 pm •

The failure of a major crypto bill in Congress may not freeze U.S. digital-asset policy. It could push the next wave of rules through federal agencies faster than lawmakers could have managed—and leave the largest exchanges with an even wider lead.

CoinDesk reports that the stalled Digital Asset Market Clarity Act has shifted the near-term burden to the Securities and Exchange Commission and Commodity Futures Trading Commission. Both agencies are already advancing rules that could expand regulated onchain trading, custody options and institutional access.

The SEC introduced a five-year innovation exemption on September 17 for qualifying venues trading tokenized U.S. stocks through blockchain liquidity pools. It also proposed custody changes on October 1 that would let