Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse urged sustained, constructive engagement with Washington as crypto market structure talks stall, arguing the industry is close to regulatory clarity and should keep pushing lawmakers toward workable rules for U.S. digital assets.
Ripple CEO Urges Congress Action, Says CLARITY Act Key to Crypto Market Stability
Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse shared on social media platform X last week his response to the U.S. Senate Banking Committee’s push on a crypto market structure bill, underscoring support for the legislative effort and emphasizing the need for regulatory clarity across the digital asset industry.
The U.S. Senate Banking Committee GOP had outlined the CLARITY Act a day earlier, describing it as the result of more than six months of bipartisan negotiations with input from industry participants, legal and academic experts, and key stakeholders. Responding to that development, Garlinghouse wrote: “While long-overdue, this move by Senator Tim Scott and Senate Banking GOP on market structure is a massive step forward in providing workable frameworks for crypto, while continuing to protect consumers. Ripple (and I) know firsthand that clarity beats chaos, and this bill’s success is crypto’s success.” He followed by emphasizing Ripple’s continued engagement with lawmakers, stating:
“We are at the table and will continue to move forward with fair debate. I remain optimistic that issues can be resolved through the mark-up process.”
The crypto market structure bill stalled in the Senate on Jan. 15, after Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong abruptly withdrew support, forcing the Banking Committee to postpone its markup. The controversy centers on a Senate rewrite that introduced a “yield ban” on stablecoin rewards—a move heavily lobbied for by traditional banks to prevent deposit flight—and strict KYC mandates for DeFi front-ends. While Garlinghouse remains optimistic that clarity beats chaos, Coinbase argues the new draft is materially worse than the status quo. Lawmakers now face a narrow window to reconcile these industry-splitting amendments before the 2026 midterm season begins.
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Additional remarks from Garlinghouse surfaced days later through a video statement shared on Jan. 16 by CfC St. Moritz following the postponement of the CLARITY Act and Coinbase’s withdrawal of support. Speaking from the CfC St. Moritz conference, where he participated in a panel on Jan. 15, 2026, the Ripple CEO stressed, “Clarity is always better than chaos, and the industry needs clarity.” He addressed the pending legislation: “The market structure bill that’s pending in the banking committee, is it perfect? no. Certainly not. But is it better than nothing? Absolutely!”
Garlinghouse urged continued engagement with policymakers, stressing:
“We need to continue to work constructively with Washington … But we shouldn’t give up now. We are so close.”
Ripple chief legal officer Stuart Alderoty echoed that position in a reply to Garlinghouse’s X post on Jan. 14, writing, “Clear guardrails + market integrity = a stronger U.S. financial system. Time for the Senate to act.” Together, the statements reflect ongoing industry pressure for clearer crypto market rules as lawmakers debate the next steps for legislation affecting assets such as bitcoin, ethereum, and XRP.
FAQ ⏰
- Why is Ripple supporting the CLARITY Act? Ripple says the CLARITY Act would provide long-needed market structure and regulatory clarity for the industry.
- What did Brad Garlinghouse say about the Senate Banking Committee bill? Garlinghouse called the legislation a major step forward despite acknowledging it is not perfect.
- How does the CLARITY Act affect bitcoin and ethereum? The bill aims to set clearer rules for assets like and ethereum under U.S. law.
- Why did Coinbase withdraw support from the CLARITY Act? Coinbase pulled support after the bill was postponed, raising concerns during the ongoing legislative process.
Author: Kevin Helms
Source: Bitcoin
Reviewed By: Editorial Team
