CLARITY Act Delayed as U.S. Senate Pushes Crypto Market Structure Vote to 2026

The CLARITY Act, a major U.S. crypto market structure proposal, is no longer expected to pass the Senate this year as lawmakers delay progress due to unresolved policy disputes. Senate negotiations around the bill have stalled, pushing the earliest possible action to early 2026 and marking another setback for comprehensive cryptocurrency regulation in the United States.

Senator John Kennedy, a member of the Senate Banking Committee, confirmed that the bill is not yet ready for a final vote. Speaking to CNBC, he acknowledged that while negotiations have made some progress, key issues remain unresolved, preventing the Senate from advancing the legislation. As a result, lawmakers have postponed planned committee markups once again, despite earlier hopes for a vote before the end of this year.

Senate Banking Committee Chair Tim Scott also confirmed the revised timeline, stating that committee work on the CLARITY Act will resume in early 2026. Although the bill carries different names in the House and Senate, lawmakers continue to treat it as a single crypto market structure framework. Scott criticized Democratic lawmakers for delaying the process, arguing that continued resistance has effectively paralyzed the bill. Still, he expressed optimism that the Senate could consider the legislation for a vote early next year.

The delay highlights growing policy divisions over how cryptocurrency and decentralized finance should be regulated. While there is bipartisan agreement on the need for clearer crypto rules, disagreements persist over regulatory scope and enforcement. In October, Senate Democrats introduced a DeFi-focused proposal that included identity verification and stricter anti-money-laundering requirements. The proposal drew sharp criticism from the crypto industry and several Republican lawmakers, who warned it could stifle DeFi innovation in the United States.

Political tensions have further complicated the debate. Some Democrats argue that advancing crypto legislation could legitimize President Donald Trump’s crypto-related business ventures, including a Trump-branded meme coin, the World Liberty Financial DeFi project, and American Bitcoin, a mining company linked to his family. Representative Maxine Waters strongly opposed the bills, stating that passing them would make Congress complicit in what she described as presidential “crypto corruption.”

With negotiations stalled and divisions deepening, the future of the CLARITY Act remains uncertain as the Senate shifts its focus to 2026.