Brian Armstrong Slams CLARITY Act: "Banks Trying to Kill Competition"
In a dramatic shift for U.S. crypto policy, Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong has officially pulled the exchange's support for the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act of 2026. Armstrong’s reversal comes just as the Senate Banking Committee prepared to vote on the bill, which was initially hailed as a landmark for regulatory certainty.
According to Armstrong, the current draft has been "poisoned" by banking lobbyists seeking to stifle the growth of the digital asset sector. "We'd rather have no bill than a bad bill," Armstrong stated, emphasizing that the proposed legislation would leave the industry in a worse position than the current status quo.
Why Coinbase is Breaking with Lawmakers
The primary "red line" for Coinbase revolves around stablecoin rewards. The latest version of the CLARITY Act includes provisions—strongly supported by traditional banking groups—that would effectively ban platforms from offering passive interest or rewards on payment stablecoins like USDC.
Banking lobbyists have argued that these rewards trigger "deposit flight," siphoning billions away from traditional savings accounts. Armstrong, however, views this as a direct attack on consumer choice. "We can't really have banks come in and try to kill their competition at the expense of the American consumer," he noted during a recent interview.
Key Issues in the CLARITY Act
Beyond stablecoin rewards, Armstrong highlighted several critical flaws in the 300-page document:
- De Facto Ban on Tokenized Equities: The bill imposes restrictions that would make it nearly impossible to trade stocks on the blockchain.
- DeFi Prohibitions: New rules would grant the government "unlimited access to financial records," severely undermining user privacy.
- Erosion of CFTC Authority: The draft expands the SEC's power to classify assets, moving away from the industry-preferred CFTC oversight.
The Battle for the Future of Finance
This legislative standoff highlights the growing tension between traditional exchanges and the crypto ecosystem. While some industry leaders like Ripple's Brad Garlinghouse still see the bill as a "step forward," Coinbase’s withdrawal has effectively stalled the Senate vote, forcing lawmakers back to the drawing board.
For investors, the outcome of this "bank vs. crypto" war will determine whether high-yield stablecoin products remain a viable alternative to low-interest bank accounts.
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