U.S. Senate back to crypto talks as industry's make-or-break bill faces time crunch

U.S. senators have restarted negotiations over the crucial crypto market structure bill, with Senator John Kennedy suggesting a committee markup is planned for January 15th. This process begins anew for 2026, despite a constrained and politically challenging calendar, including looming deadlines for federal spending plans and midterm elections. Key sticking points remain, particularly Democratic demands for ethics standards banning senior officials from profiting from digital assets (similar to actions by President Donald Trump) and constraints on decentralized finance (DeFi) platforms and crypto yield. The banking industry is also lobbying to use the bill to restrict stablecoin yield payments. If a markup proceeds next week without bipartisan consensus on these issues, Democrats may be forced to oppose the resulting legislation, making quick resolution essential for industry support.

(Source：CoinDesk)