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📰 TOP NEWS
OCC aims to finalize stablecoin rules by November as GENIUS Act implementation accelerates
OCC Comptroller Jonathan Gould said the agency is targeting a final rule by November to implement the GENIUS Act, the stablecoin law signed by President Trump in July 2025, with the goal of beginning to process applications in the new year. Speaking at the annual SALT conference in Wyoming, Gould said the OCC received public comments on its 376-page February proposal and made changes, covering areas including capital and liquidity requirements for risk management. The agency missed an initial July deadline set for regulators including the OCC and FDIC to finalize rules, though Gould said the final rule will be ready before the GENIUS Act's January 2027 effective date. Gould also weighed in on the Clarity Act's uncertain prospects, taking a pragmatic tone. "We don't know if or when or what may be the end result of that process," he said. "What we have is the GENIUS Act. That's been law for over a year now, and we need to execute on that." The Clarity Act, which would create a comprehensive federal regulatory framework for the broader crypto industry, has stalled in the Senate over disagreements around Trump's crypto conflicts of interest and the treatment of stablecoin rewards, and appears unlikely to pass this year without a breakthrough in negotiations.
Trump appears bullish on Clarity Act in private Oval Office meeting with crypto and traditional finance executives
President Trump met privately with a group of crypto and traditional finance executives in the Oval Office on Wednesday following a press conference at which he called for a "fair version" of the Clarity Act to pass and said regulators were working to onshore Hyperliquid. Executives at the press conference included Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman, Robinhood CEO Vlad Tenev, Kraken CEO Arjun Sethi, ICE CEO Jeffrey Sprecher, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong, and Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, with one source telling The Block that Trump was "bullish" about getting Clarity done. Chainlink co-founder Sergey Nazarov, who attended the Oval Office meeting, said discussion focused on remaining open points, which senators need to come on board, and what the plan looks like when Congress returns from recess, adding that ethics was not discussed. The Clarity Act faces a first procedural Senate vote on September 15 and has been dogged by disputes over stablecoin rewards, illicit finance concerns, and how to address Trump's crypto wealth, which has grown to hundreds of millions of dollars linked to World Liberty Financial and his memecoin. Trump is currently weighing a bipartisan ethics proposal from Sens. Ruben Gallego and Thom Tillis that would allow state attorneys general to enforce restrictions on public officials issuing or sponsoring digital assets. Blockchain Association CEO Summer Mersinger said Wednesday's gathering of startups, institutions, fintechs, and established exchange operators like Nasdaq and ICE was a notable signal of where markets are headed, and said the event injected fresh energy into the push for Clarity ahead of the Senate vote.
Bitcoin ETFs record largest daily inflows in over three months as Treasury buybacks and SEC proposal fuel market rally
US spot bitcoin ETFs pulled in $517.19 million in net inflows on Wednesday, the largest single-day total since May 4, as a combination of macro and regulatory catalysts drove a broad crypto market recovery. Eight of 12 bitcoin ETFs recorded net inflows on the day, led by $284.7 million into BlackRock's IBIT, $77.7 million into Ark and 21Shares' ARKB, and $62.4 million into Fidelity's FBTC. The inflows coincided with bitcoin climbing above $69,000 (now above $77,000) for the first time in two months and ether reclaiming $2,000 (now nearly $2,400), with analysts pointing to two key catalysts: the US Treasury's announcement that it will at least double the size of liquidity support buyback operations for longer-dated securities across the 10- to 30-year segment, and an SEC proposal creating two tailored exemptions allowing crypto issuers to raise up to $5 million over four years or $75 million annually. "When the Treasury signals it's stepping in to cap Treasury yields, the dollar softens, risk appetites return, and bitcoin and crypto benefit," said BTSE COO Jeff Mei. Analysts characterized the inflows as institutional rather than retail-driven, with BTC Markets crypto analyst Rachael Lucas noting these are "longer-horizon allocations from players who have the compliance frameworks and balance-sheet capacity to move size" rather than opportunistic day-trading money.
SEC proposes tailored crypto offering exemptions as Clarity Act stalls and White House signals regulatory break glass
The SEC put forth "Regulation Crypto Assets" on Tuesday, a proposed tailored offering regime designed to provide digital asset issuers with a pathway to raise capital while remaining exempt from certain securities registration requirements. The proposal includes a startup exemption covering offerings of up to $5 million over four years and a fundraising exemption for offerings up to $75 million annually, along with a safe harbor allowing a digital asset to shed its securities classification once it has "ceased all managerial efforts." SEC Chair Paul Atkins framed the move as part of a broader strategy to onshore crypto innovation, building on joint SEC-CFTC guidance released in March that clarified most digital assets are not securities. The proposal arrives as the Clarity Act continues to stall in the Senate ahead of a mid-September procedural vote, with disputes over stablecoin rewards and Trump's crypto conflicts of interest still unresolved. White House crypto adviser Patrick Witt, speaking at a SALT conference panel earlier Tuesday, signaled that a broader wave of regulatory action from the SEC and CFTC is imminent if Congress fails to act. "We can't wait forever as we know, and we've got the window in September here and if ultimately it doesn't succeed, they're going to let loose," Witt said. SEC Commissioner Hester Peirce called the proposal "one step on a long road toward a clear, sensible, enforceable regulatory framework for crypto," with public comments due in 60 days.
🎟️ EVENT OF THE WEEK
BTTheChange - Scotland’s Bitcoin Conference 2026
BTheChange – Scotland’s Bitcoin Conference 2026 is taking over Glasgow University on August 29–30 for two full days of bitcoin—explored from every angle.
Across both days, a rich programme of talks digs into all aspects of bitcoin, with activities running throughout to make the experience as hands-on as it is thought-provoking. The lineup is built to speak to anyone—whether they can explain the Lightning Network in their sleep or have only just started to get curious about what bitcoin actually is.
Date Aug 29-30 2026
💬 EXPERT OPINION
Blockchains are digital organisms. As organisms evolve through changes in their DNA, blockchain protocols evolve through changes in their code. And like biological organisms, the most adaptive blockchains will be the ones that survive and thrive.”
📊 METRIC OF THE WEEK
Our researchers designed this metric with ❤️
GLOSSARY CORNER Bullish refers to a market sentiment or outlook where investors and traders expect the price of a cryptocurrency or the broader market to rise, driven by optimism, positive news, strong fundamentals, or increasing demand, often leading to higher buying activity and upward price momentum across the market. | EDITOR’S CHOICE |
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